Inside This Issue...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has adopted as final its interim regulations specifying that a driver who passed FMCSA-approved tests for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) school bus endorsement before Sept. 30, 2002 has met the requirements for that endorsement. In addition, the regulations state that the compliance date for states to administer knowledge and skills tests to all school bus drivers is extended to Sept. 30, 2006, as well as the expiration date for allowing states to waive the driving skills test. The final rule, which was adopted without change, is effective Feb. 17, 2006.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta will kick off the nation's celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System during the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) annual meeting on Jan. 23, 2006. The event is hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the History Committee of TRB. It will feature displays of the origins of the Interstate, highlights of events planned for the year, and a focus on the Interstate's next 50 years. The year 2006 marks the golden anniversary of the highway system, which began in 1956 with the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act during the Eisenhower administration. The act paved the way for the 46,508-mile highway network that spans from coast to coast. The event will be held at the Anniversary display area at Exhibit Hall A at the Marriot Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. It begins at noon. Registration for the TRB meeting is not required to attend this special event.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff has said that he supports the development of a single identification card that would be used to access secure areas. Chertoff believes this card will increase convenience for citizens. The card, which would be developed over the next decade, would include a biometric identifier that would prevent criminals from being able to use it.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached its limit for exemptions to a visa cap for alien workers who have earned U.S. master's degrees or higher. A congressional mandate allows 20,000 exemptions under the H-1B program to go to graduates of U.S. graduate programs each fiscal year. USCIS also announced in August 2005 that it had reached the fiscal 2006 limit of 65,000 petitions for H-1B visas for skilled workers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced parameters for its Registered Traveler Program, which serves as a way to accelerate the screening process at participating airports for participants who volunteer to enroll. The program will be harmonized with the DHS-State Department P.A.S.S. credentialing system. In addition, it will utilize Smart Card technology to store biometric data for identity confirmation at checkpoints. Each applicant will give ten fingerprint images that will be stored on their Smart Card. Applicants who believe that they are erroneously denied eligibility to the program will have the opportunity to seek redress. TSA will use its current Office of Redress to handle these matters, and procedures will mirror those now used to resolve watch list issues. The Registered Traveler programs will be offered by the private sector with prices established by private sector providers. Since terrorists may seek to exploit the programs, the program benefits will change from time to time in order to make security measures more difficult for terrorists to anticipate. Also, Registered Traveler participants will not be exempt from random additional screening. TSA is expected to approve the qualified programs by June 2006.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a new analysis of crash data involving teenage drivers. While highway safety programs have mostly focused on the effects of teen drivers' crashes on the drivers themselves, the analysis shows that teen drivers are killing other people in much greater numbers. According to a Governors Highway Safety Association press release, the analysis shows that "between 1995 and 2004, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers claimed 30,917 lives nationwide. Of those, 11,177 (36.2 percent) were the teen drivers themselves and 9,847 (31.9 percent) were passengers of the 15- to 17-year-old drivers. The remaining deaths comprised a surprising 32 percent of the total deaths, and included 7,477 occupants of other vehicles operated by drivers at least 18 years of age, 2,323 non-motorists and 93 others/unknowns." GHSA also states that these findings change the teen driving issue, "because it is not just those with teenagers that are at risk--the safety off all members of the driving public is jeopardized unless we reduce the number of teen driver crashes."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a brochure on its 2006 Most Wanted Safety Improvements. The list includes recommendations designed to prevent accidents and enhance safety for the traveling public. NTSB believes that states should adopt these recommendations because they are so critical to saving lives. The highway category includes issues dealing with occupant protection, primary seat belt laws, youth highway safety, drinking and driving, and school bus/grade crossing safety. For a copy of the brochure, see NTSB's Web site.