Inside This Issue...

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 provides that by Jan. 1, 2008, United States citizens and nonimmigrant aliens may enter the United States only with passports or such alternative documents as the Secretary of Homeland Security may designate as satisfactorily establishing identity and citizenship. This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is the first phase of a joint Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State plan to implement these new requirements. This NPRM proposes that, beginning Jan. 8, 2007, United States citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico entering the United States at air ports-of-entry and most sea ports-of-entry, with certain limited exceptions, will generally be required to present a valid passport. This NPRM does not propose to change the requirements for United States citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico entering the United States at land border ports-of-entry and certain types of arrivals by sea (ferries and pleasure vessels) which will be addressed in a separate, future rulemaking. Written comments must be submitted on or before Sept. 25, 2006. Comments, identified by docket number USCBP 2006-0097, may be submitted to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.

The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a demonstration project that uses a thermal imaging inspection system (TIIS) that leverages state-of-the-art thermal imagery technology, integrated with signature recognition software, providing the capability to identify, in real time, faults and failures in tires, brakes and bearings mounted on commercial motor vehicles. Funds under this project shall be used to employ a TIIS in a field environment, along the Interstate, to further assess the system's ability to identify faults in tires, brakes, and bearings mounted on commercial motor vehicles; to establish, through statistical analysis, the probability of failure for each component; and to develop and integrate a predictive tool into the TIIS, which identifies an impending tire, brake, or bearing failure and provides the user a time frame in which this failure may occur. This project shall be conducted at multiple sites including the FMCSA's Roadside Test Lab (RTL)l ocated at an operational weigh station on Interstate 81 in Eastern Tennessee. This project is one of several FMCSA-sponsored projects planned for the RTL. The project will involve the participation of the Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS), but grant applicants do not need to establish contact with or formal agreements with TDOS in developing their grant applications. Affiliation with or connection to TDOS is not a factor in the grant evaluation criteria. Background information, related FMCSA research, and answers to questions from potential applicants have been posted to the full announcement for this opportunity. The closing date for applications is Aug. 25, 2006.

This rule transfers and redesignates certain motor carrier reporting regulations currently found in 49 CFR Chapter XI to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in 49 CFR Chapter III. On Aug. 17, 2004, the Secretary of Transportation transferred responsibility for the Motor Carrier Financial and Operating Statistics Program from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, now a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, to FMCSA. Today’s action transfers the applicable regulations to chapter III of title 49 CFR, establishes a new part 369 within that title, and makes conforming technical amendments to the redesignated regulations. The rule took effect Aug. 10, 2006.

The Transportation Safety Planning Work Group (TSPWG) advocates for the full integration of safety into the transportation planning process and supports the development of Strategic Highway Safety Plans as outlined in SAFETEA-LU. The group represents many public and private sector agencies and organizations. The members regularly come together to proactively plan for safety. The July 2006 Newsletter has been posted to the Web site at http://tsp.trb.org. This quarterly newsletter serves as a tool for disseminating information about the state-of-the practice.

On Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 am, Acting U.S. Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino will lead a press conference at the Montgomery County Police and Fire Training Academy in Rockville, Md.. She will be joined by Administrator Nicole Nason, of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty; and top officials of three NHTSA advocacy organizations: The International Association of Chiefs of Police; the Governors Highway Safety Association; and MADD. They will announce an aggressive new national enforcement crackdown on impaired drivers: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. To underscore the severity of the problem, NHTSA will also release final 2005 statistics on alcohol-related fatalities, including state-by-state statistics and data on counties in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.  

AAMVA will be launching its new Web site on Monday, Aug. 21. On the day of the launch you will be receiving an e-mail that will give you your new Web password. There is a PowerPoint presentation available on the current Web site that explains the basic structure of the site and where you will find information. If you are attending the AIC, stop by the following informational sessions to learn more about the new site: Monday, Aug. 28 at 8:30 am and 3:30 pm in the Emerald I room. There will also be an online tutorial available on the front page of the Web site that will walk you through the various sections of the site. You will be receiving more updates through the Yahoo Groups, our e-newsletter, The Week in Review. and on the front page of the current site. Watch for the e-mail giving you your new Web password. If you do not currently have a Web password, you will not be receiving that particular e-mail. However, you will be able to go to the new site to register and obtain a password. Future announcements will explain how that is done. Please contact Janice Dluzynski if you have any questions about the new Web site.

Time is running out to make arrangements to attend the 2006 DLC/NRVC Annual Membership Meeting Friday, Aug. 25, 2006 in Burlington, Vermont. The meeting is taking place immediately prior to the AAMVA 2006 Annual International Conference. The membership meeting will begin at 1 pm and conclude no later than 5 pm. The purpose of this very important meeting is to provide a status of the current compacts, update the membership on the Driver License Agreement (DLA), hold elections for those Officers of the Board whose terms are expiring, and provide information on the availability of NHTSA grants to assist jurisdictions in funding their adoption of the DLA. The DLA has been on hold to a great extent while the Compact Executive Board awaited indications from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as to the requirements of the Real ID Act. This meeting will allow us to discuss whether we need to delay any longer, since it would appear there will be few conflicts between the Agreement and Real ID. If you have not yet sent in your fax reply please do so at your earliest convenience. We cannot overemphasize the importance of your participation in this year’s membership meeting so please do plan to attend if at all possible. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Lewis at (703) 908-2823 or klewis@aamva.org.

Please share information with your fellow jurisdictions by responding to these surveys. Contact Member & Conference Services if you need a user ID and password.

• Wisconsin - Processing DL/ID Applications for Prisoners  (Ends 8/31/2006)
• Nebraska - Class O (car) Tests  (Ends 8/18/2006)

FMCSA would like to collect information on CDL tests in foreign languages. Please respond to this survey by Aug. 29, 2006. Contact Member & Conference Services if you need a user ID and password.

AAMVA met with representatives from the Election Assistance Commission to discuss HAVA and Motor Voter issues and the challenges that states encounter with compliance. The EAC would like to obtain some additional information. Please respond to this survey by Aug. 23, 2006.