Inside This Issue...

The AAMVA Board of Directors, at its Jan. 13-14, 2006 meeting, approved a Policy Position Paper regarding the Uniform Certificate of Title Act (UCOTA). The Board, while supporting the goal of uniform procedures, believed a lack of funding, as well as competing budget and legislative priorities, would affect the ability of state motor vehicle administrators to implement UCOTA in the near future. In addition, the Board believed states may be opposed to enacting the UCOTA in its present form for substantive reasons. A number of its key provisions within the Act are contrary to existing principles, practices, and procedures that are widely used and well understood both by motor vehicle administrators and by the public at large. A copy of the Policy Position Paper is available on AAMVA's Web site.

The three newly appointed AAMVA standing committees (Drivers, Vehicles, Enforcement) held their first meeting Jan. 11-12 in Los Angeles, California. The new committee structure was approved by the AAMVA Board of Directors in August 2004. The organizational meeting allowed committees to implement the new structure, focus on development of the transition process, define roles and responsibilities, examine current committee projects, create a mission statement and goals, review the AAMVA Strategic Plan, and develop a plan to implement the new committee structure.  The three committees have forwarded their recommendations to the newly formed Steering Committee. 

Honor outstanding members of the motor vehicle and traffic enforcement community! Submit your nomination for the AAMVA Distinguished Service Awards by March 17, 2006. The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor AAMVA bestows upon its membership. Awards are nominated in either of four categories: Lifetime Achievement Award, Distinguished Jurisdictional Member, Distinguished Board Member, and Distinguished Community Member. For more information, contact André Owens, coordinator, Member and Conference Services at (703) 908-2879 or via e-mail. Or, simply visit AAMVA's Web site for a nomination form.

Several jurisdictions need your input. If you haven't already done so, please respond to the following surveys. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password. Thank you.

• South Dakota - Handicap Permits/Placards  (Ends 3/15/06)
• Connecticut - Part 2 - Administrative Alcohol Hearings (Ends 2/20)
• Kentucky - DL Information - Selling  (Ends 2/17)
• Ontario - Driver & Licence Issuing Offices - Interim Service  (Ends 2/17)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking comments on proposed amendments to six of the existing highway safety guidelines to reflect program methodology and approaches that have proven to be successful and are based on sound science and program administration. The guidelines the agency proposes to revise are: Guideline No. 3 Motorcycle Safety, Guideline No. 8 Impaired Driving, Guideline No. 14 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Guideline No. 15 Traffic Enforcement Services (formerly Police Traffic Services), Guideline No. 19 Speed Management (formerly Speed Control), and Guideline No. 20 Occupant Protection. The revised guidelines will be made publicly available on the NHTSA Web site. Comments should be received by Docket Management no later than March 13, 2006. You may submit comments (labeled with Docket No. NHTSA-2005-23090) in writing to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Alternatively, you may submit comments electronically by logging onto the Docket Management System (DMS) Web site at http://dms.dot.gov. For more information, contact NHTSA's Julie Ross, Program Development and Delivery, NTI-100, by phone at (202) 366-9895 or fax at (202) 366-7149.

Beginning today, the ballot for the proposed VRT (Vehicle Registration & Titling) policy on license plates (#03.05.FT - License Plates (VRT)) is open to registered voting delegates. Make sure your jurisdiction's vote is counted! Your AAMVA voting delegate will need to log in to the ballot using their web ID and password to vote. Please remember that only your jurisdiction's registered voting delegate is eligible to vote. To cast your vote, please visit AAMVA's Web site. If you have any problems voting, please contact AAMVA's Jim Magruder.

States are reminded to complete the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) IJIS Assessment Survey. Responses are requested by Feb. 15, 2006. Please go to AAMVA's Online Survey - "Titling" and select and complete your survey.

AAMVA is pleased to announce its 6th Annual Capitol Hill Day, taking place March 13-14, 2006. This year, AAMVA will discuss appropriations with members of Congress and their legislative staff for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), appropriations for and regulations implementing the Real ID Act (P.L. 109-13), and the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT). AAMVA’s profile on Capitol Hill has never been higher and the association requests your presence to help sustain the momentum. Join your fellow administrators as we work for legislation that is favorable to our member agencies. If you are able to attend, AAMVA will be hosting a briefing on March 13 at 3 pm at AAMVA Headquarters. Join your colleagues in meeting with your legislators between 9 am and 3 pm on March 14, followed by a debriefing at AAMVA Headquarters to wrap up the day’s events. If you have questions or need assistance in making your Congressional appointments, contact Cian Cashin, AAMVA’s manager of State Government Affairs. Information is also available on AAMVA's Web site.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety will be releasing the results of a review of the effectiveness of booster seat interventions. The event takes place at 10:30 am on Feb. 14 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Child booster seats are designed for children 4 to 8 years old and are a known lifesaver when properly used with lap and shoulder belts. However, over 60 percent of parents and caregivers still do not use booster seats. AAA will announce its solution to motivate parents and caregivers to increase booster seat use, as well as highlight efforts to improve child passenger safety laws. This is the first systematic review of booster seat interventions, and it will become a part of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in the Cochrane Library. After Feb. 14, the report will be available on the Foundation's Web site. For more information, contact Fairley Washington at (202) 638-5944, ext 4 or Janie Graziani at (407) 760-0599.

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) recently published their final version of the Uniform Certificate of Title Act (UCOTA). NCCUSL began drafting the UCOTA in 2003 with the intent of developing standardized vehicle titling procedures that all states could enact. AAMVA and it members provided input to the NCCUSL drafters, but final decisions regarding UCOTA were made and approved by the NCCUSL membership. The final version of UCOTA can be viewed online.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has announced a $65.6 billion fiscal year 2007 budget request. The request fully funds the SAFETEA-LU with nearly $50 billion for transit, highways and safety programs, an increase over 2006. It also includes $815 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and $900 million for Amtrak, $8.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, and $13.7 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration. The budget request explores new ways to fund transportation projects over the long term. A detailed Budget in Brief, which summarizes the Bush Administration’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Transportation, soon will be available at www.dot.gov.

AAMVA is conducting a short survey to determine if your jurisdiction is encountering any flood-damaged vehicles since hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In addition, we would like to know of your use of the NICB database and whether you are finding VIN matches from the database. AAMVA thanks you for responding to this survey. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password.