AAMVA Announces 2006 Law Institute 
Information on AAMVA's annual
Motor Vehicle & Traffic Law Institute is now available in the events section of AAMVA's Web site. The Motor Vehicle & Traffic Law Institute will take place in Denver, Colorado, July 29 - August 2. The AAMVA law institute offers your agency the unique opportunity to network and discuss the latest legal trends with attorneys, administrators and law enforcement officials from across the U.S. and Canada. Be sure to register today!
FMCSA Establishes Board of Directors for UCR Plan
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced the
establishment of a Board of Directors for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan mandated under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The board will be responsible for issuing rules and regulations to govern the Uniform Carrier Registration Agreement (UCR Agreement). The UCR Agreement is the replacement system for the Single State Registration System (SSRS) due to expire on Jan. 1, 2007. The UCR Agreement will govern the collection and distribution of registration and financial responsibility information provided and fees paid by for-hire and private motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. For a
list of the UCR appointees, see AAMVA's Web site.
NHTSA Seeks Comments on Information Collection Request
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has forwarded an
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on Feb. 27, 2006 (71 FR 9859). Comments must be received on or before June 12, 2006. The information collection is titled "Grant Program to Prohibit Racial Profiling, State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements, and Child Safety and Child Booster Seat Incentive Grants." For more information, contact David Bonelli, Office of Chief Counsel, at (202) 366-1834 or NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.
Register Now for your AAMVA Regional Conference!
Registrations are now open for all AAMVA 4 Regional Conferences! Regional conferences are a great opportunity for you and your agency staff to get more involved in AAMVA, and to stay current with motor vehicle and law enforcement trends throughout your regions. They also foster opportunities for you and your staff to network with your peers at all levels of government and the private sector. Each regional conference focuses on issues specific to your region as well as updates from AAMVA federal partners. Register now for your AAMVA regional conference at
AAMVA events.
Virginia DMV Seeks Jurisdiction Input
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has posted a survey on AAMVA's Web site entitled "
Paper Knowledge Exams/Language Options." Please take a moment to respond to this online survey by close of business on May 26, 2006. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password.
TSA Unveils TWIC Program
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will soon publish its plan for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program in the Federal Register. The credential would function as a universal biometric ID card for port workers and would require “all individuals with unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act” to carry a biometric-based TWIC card. In addition to longshoremen, port operator employees, truck drivers and rail workers, U.S. Merchant Mariners also would be required to hold TWIC cards. TSA will collect biometric and biographic data from each worker and will also conduct a background check, including a review of criminal history records, terrorist watch lists, legal immigration status and outstanding warrants. It will cost about $139 for each worker to obtain a card that is valid for five years. Workers with current, comparable background checks will pay $105. When the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is published, the public will have 45 days to comment. TSA and the Coast Guard also plan to host four public meetings.
Immigration Bill May Come Back to Floor
On Thursday, May 11, Senators Bill Frist of Tennessee and Harry Reid of Nevada reached an agreement that will likely start up debate again over the controversial immigration bill. Though the deal does not mean a bill will emerge from Congress soon, it is significant that the Senate leaders have agreed to proceed with the debate. Frist and Reid said they hope to schedule a vote before Memorial Day in late May. However, even if the Senate passes the bill, it would still need to be reconciled with a House bill enacted in December. Frist said 14 Republicans and 12 Democrats would negotiate with House members once the Senate passes an immigration bill.
May 15 Interactive Audio Webcast on Teen Motor Crashes
The National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies are sponsoring a public workshop called “Contributions from the Behavioral and Social Sciences in Reducing and Preventing Teen Motor Crashes” on May 15-16 in Washington, DC. This workshop will include a review of issues related to teen driving, emerging driving technology, and teen driving policy approaches, as well as presentations and discussion on adolescent development issues that may inform improved approaches to teen driving programs and policy interventions. Participants will include individuals from a range of relevant disciplines. Interested colleagues can participate in the workshop by listening to a live audio webcast and submitting questions during the first day of the event at
http://national-academies.org. The webcast requires RealPlayer software available free at
http://www.real.com/player.
Harvard Award Winners Announced
AAMVA and the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) are pleased to announce that George E. Tatum, commissioner, North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, and Lt. Col. Michael Tooley, deputy chief, Montana Division of Highway Patrol, have been selected as the 2006 AAMVA/Nick Denice Memorial Fellows to the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University. Only AAMVA members who are chief motor vehicle and law enforcement officials from the United States and Canada, AAMVA or IRP, Inc. Board of Directors members, and AAMVA International Standing Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs are eligible to participate in the program. For
more information on the program, visit AAMVA's Web site.
Proceedings Available for International Conference on Distracted Driving
The Summary of the Proceedings and Recommendations from the International Conference on Distracted Driving, held in Toronto, Ontario in October 2005, is now available. For
more information, please see the Traffic Injury Research Foundation's (TIRF) Web site.
House Approves Homeland Security Funding Bill
Last week, the House passed a $33.1 billion port security authorization bill by voice vote. Approved in the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the bill would provide $200 million for port security grants, half the amount called for in the port security authorization bill for fiscal 2007. In addition, the bill would provide $139 million for the overseas Container Security Initiative, $500 million for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and $70.1 million for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. The bill would withhold $1.3 billion until the Department of Homeland Security complies with the subcommittee's demands for reports and strategic plans. Discretionary funding would total $32.1 billion under the draft bill. First-responders would get $3.2 billion, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would get $6.4 billion, including security fees.
2006 AAMVA Brand Survey Completed
Keith Kiser, vice president of Vehicle Programs, has announced that an update of the
2002 AAMVA Brand Survey has recently been completed and posted on the AAMVA Web site. Keith expresses his sincere thanks to all who provided information for the update. He also extends a special thanks to the AAMVA Regional Vice Presidents for all of their extra efforts to get the needed information. The brand survey is a document that can be readily updated. If your jurisdiction's information is incorrect, changes, or is not yet in the survey, please contact Keith Kiser.
NHTSA Seeks Comments on Second Information Collection Request
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has forwarded an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on March 2, 2006 (71 FR 10753). Comments must be received on or before June 12, 2006. The information collection is titled "Motorcyclist Grant Safety Program." For more information, contact Allison Rusnak, Office of Chief Counsel, at (202) 366-1834 or NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.
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Share Information with Other Jurisdictions
Please share information with your fellow jurisdictions by responding to these surveys. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password.
AAMVA Seeks Comments on FMCSA Rule on Diabetes by June 1
On March 17, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register to begin re-evaluating the rule that prohibits drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus from operating trucks and buses in interstate commerce. The agency is seeking comments on whether or not to change the standard and to what extent. Member jurisdictions are asked to pay special attention to the series of questions posed under the heading “Request for Information and Comments,” which could have a significant impact upon departments of motor vehicles. The agency also needs help in evaluating whether the ANPRM meets several federal laws for developing rules. Please provide a copy of your comments by June 1, 2006 to
Lori Cohen or
Pam Richardson Walker or fax to (703) 908-5793. See AAMVA’s
Legislative Alert for full details, including how to submit to DOT docket.
Help Reduce Teen Driver Crashes and Fatalities
AAMVA would like to know about DMV and law enforcement successes that your jurisdiction has had with programs geared toward teen driver safety.
This survey seeks brief answers, to which the Programs Division may follow up by telephone with additional questions. Your responses will help other jurisdictions learn about programs they can implement to reduce teen driver crashes and fatalities.