Current Status
DOJ Announces FY09 NMVTIS Competitive Grant
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it is seeking applications from states that wish to participate in the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The solicitation seeks to provide support for all states in establishing daily or real-time updates to NMVTIS, inquiries into a web-based NMVTIS application and paying any fees as required by the operator. Applicants may apply for up to $100,000 for a 12 month period. Applicants are limited to state agencies with responsibility for the registration and storage of vehicle title and registration information within the state. Registration with Grants.gov is required prior to application submission. All applications are due by 8 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 12, 2009. Contact David P. Lewis, senior policy advisor, DOJ, at (202) 616-7829, toll free at (866) 859-2687, or david.p.lewis@usdoj.gov. View the full grant announcement on Grants.gov.
AAMVA Meets Deadline, Submits NMVTIS NPRM Comments
The comment period for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) rule closed Nov. 21, 2008. Sixteen states submitted comments. AAMVA submitted two sets of comments; one from the perspective of the system operator and another as the association representing the interests of the state motor vehicle agencies.
Documents:
Matrix Compares NMVTIS NPRM & Requirements of Anti-Car Theft Act
On Monday, Sept. 29, AAMVA distributed a matrix that compares the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) Proposed Rule with the requirements of the Anti-Car Theft Act, along with AAMVA’s interpretation. This matrix is provided to assist jurisdictions in their evaluation of the impacts and provision of comments to the docket. To further assist the membership, AAMVA has scheduled two regional conference calls.
- Region 1 & 2 – Oct. 7, 2008, 1pm – 4 pm EST
- Region 3 & 4 – Oct. 16, 2008, 1pm – 4 pm EST
Further information on the calls including call in details and materials will be published later this week.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) has been established pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30502 and is in operation, or partial operation, in at least 25 states (with another 11 states in development). NMVTIS is intended to provide authorized recipients with instant and reliable access to motor vehicle titling information maintained by the states. The goal of NMVTIS is to assist in efforts to prevent the introduction or reintroduction of stolen motor vehicles into interstate commerce. NMVTIS helps state titling agencies by verifying motor vehicle and title information, information on brands applied to motor vehicles, and information regarding whether motor vehicles have been reported stolen. This rule implements the NMVTIS reporting requirements imposed on junk yards, salvage yards, and insurance carriers pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30504(c). This rule also clarifies the process by which NMVTIS will be funded and clarifies the various responsibilities of the operator of NMVTIS, states, junk yards, salvage yards, and insurance carriers regarding NMVTIS. View the proposed rule.
Judge Issues Ruling in NMVTIS Lawsuit by Consumer Groups
On Monday, Sept. 22, federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled in favor of consumer groups to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement NMVTIS immediately. Judge Patel required the Department of Justice to issue the final rule implementing NMVTIS by Jan. 30, 2009 and the rule must be effective by the end of March 2009. This means insurance companies, salvage yards and junk yards would have to start submitting their data to NMVTIS by March 2009. Judge Patel also required that consumers be given access to NMVTIS no later than Jan. 30, 2009. AAMVA is currently awaiting DOJ’s reactions to determine the impact of the lawsuit on the states and newly issued notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
- Court Order correcting deadline (Oct. 21, 2008)
- Court Order explaining the ruling (Oct. 9, 2008)
- Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgement (Sept. 29, 2008)
- The stipulations remain as initially stated:
- Final rule - Jan. 30, 2009
- Consumer Access - Jan. 30, 2009
- Grace period for states that restrict access to NMVTIS data - Feb. 27, 2009
- Commencement of information reporting (junk, salvage & insurance) - March 31, 2009
- View AAMVA President and CEO Neil Schuster's letter to chief administrators regarding the NMVTIS rules.
- Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
Public Citizen, Inc., Consumers For Auto Reliability and Safety, and Consumer Action
Vs.
Michael Mukasey, Attorney General of the United States
- "AAMVA Launches Access to NMVTIS" (The Week in Review, Sept. 29, 2008)
Background and Technical Information
NMVTIS allows jurisdictions to verify the validity of titles prior to issuing new titles. This will inhibit title fraud and auto theft by making it harder to title stolen vehicles. More...