Inside This Issue...

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) invites public comments about its request for the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval for a new information collection titled "National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge." Section 1919 of The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA-LU) requires the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to submit annual reports and a final report to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Finance of the Senate on the results of an analysis of highway vehicle mileage data collected to assess a mileage-based approach to collecting highway use fees. Submit comments by Nov. 13, 2006. They may be sent within 30 days to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT Desk Officer. All comments should include the Docket number FHWA-2006-25976. For more information, contact James March at (202) 366-9237 or William Linde at (202)366-9637.

On Oct. 13, 2006, President Bush signed a comprehensive port security bill (HR 4954) that codifies a number of existing port security programs, authorizes a three-port pilot of “100-percent scanning technology” and establishes resumption of trade protocol in the event of a security incident. In addition, the bill includes CDL anti-fraud provisions requiring CDL holders entering ports with a hazardous material endorsement to get a background check to ensure that they are legally present in the United States. The trucking provision would also require DHS and the Department of Transportation to draft guidelines on how to better enforce federal immigration and customs laws for foreign trucks crossing U.S. borders. The bill passed the House in May as a port security-only bill, while the Senate version passed on Sept. 14 included $4.5 billion in rail and mass transit security funding authorization. Conferees did not include those authorizations in the final version of the bill.

Want the latest on UCR? Want to meet face-to-face with federal adminstrators?Join AAMVA in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nov. 14-16, for the 2006 Fall Workshop. FMCSA Administrator John Hill will host an interactive session to discuss federal initiatives and issues. With a focus on motor carrier, law enforcement and technology, the 2006 workshop is your resource for the latest information on UCR, disqualifying offenses, CDLIS modernization, credentials and roadside access, and much more! FMCSA has qualified this workshop for use of MCSAP funding. Early bird registration and hotel cut-off date is Oct. 23. Register today! For more details and to register online, visit the Events section of AAMVA's Web site.

Want to ensure you and your frontline employees can easily and accurately identify fraudulent documents? Don't miss AAMVA's next round of fraudulent document recognition training. Courses are scheduled to be held at AAMVA Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia (a minimum of 10 registrations are required per course). You can also arrange fraud training (FDR or VDEC) at your jurisdiction's training facility. Contact Linda Honig at lhonig@aamva.org  or ( 703) 908-5896 for information.

• Fraudulent Document Identification:
• November 6-9:  FDR Level II (4 days)
• December 4-8:  FDR Instructor Certification (5 days) - Prerequisite: FDR Level II

North Dakota successfully implemented the Electronic Verification of Vital Event Records (EVVER) application on Oct. 9, 2006. EVVER allows jurisdictions to verify the validity of birth certificates presented during the driver's license issuance process while an applicant is still at the counter. Currently, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota use EVVER to verify birth certificates issued by Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Efforts are underway to bring additional jurisdictions online. Jurisdictions interested in becoming part of this growing project should contact Walter Jackson, AAMVA Systems Analysis Department, at wjackson@aamva.org or (703) 908-2828.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that its Medical Review Board (MRB) will hold a public meeting. The MRB members will continue deliberations about current FMCSA medical standards, as well as consider recommendations for new science-based standards and guidelines to ensure that the physical condition of drivers is adequate to enable them to safely operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the meeting is open to the public. The MRB meeting will be held from 9 am to 3:30 pm on Nov. 1, 2006 at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Rooms PL-6244 and 6248, Washington, DC 20590-0001. You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Management System (DMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2006-25853 at http://dmses.dot.gov/submit or using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. For more information, contact Dr. Mary D. Gunnels, chief, Physical Qualifications Division, at (202)366-4001.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published the final data on thefts of model year (MY) 2004 passenger motor vehicles that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2004. The final 2004 theft data indicates a decrease in the vehicle theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2004. The final theft rate for MY 2004 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2004 (1.83 thefts per thousand vehicles) decreased by 0.54 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 2003 (1.84 thefts per thousand vehicles) when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2003. For more information, contact Deborah Mazyck, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs, at (202) 366-0846.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a notice of upcoming meetings of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and its working parties of experts for the remainder of calendar year 2006 and the tentative schedule for 2007. This notice shares the status of activities under the Program of Work of the 1998 Global Agreement and requests comments on various aspects of these activities. Specifically, this notice seeks comment on the recommended Global Technical Regulation (GTR) on motorcycle brake systems that was referred by the Working Party on Brakes and Running Gear (GRRF) to the Executive Committee of the 1998 Global Agreement (AC.3) for a vote at the 140th session of WP.29 in November 2006. Publication of this information is in accordance with NHTSA’s Statement of Policy regarding Agency Policy Goals and Public Participation in the Implementation of the 1998 Global Agreement on Global Technical Regulations. Written comments may be submitted to this agency and must be received within 30 days of publication of this notice. They may be submitted by logging onto the Dockets Management System Web site at http://dms.dot.gov and should mention docket number NHTSA-2003-14395, Notice 3.

A provision of the 2007 defense authorization bill passed by Congress on Sept. 30 requires a report 180 days from when the bill is signed on eliminating Social Security Numbers from all military identification cards. The report asks for the Defense Department to have an ID card that does not display the number or contain it on the magnetic strip. Many states have changed their laws similarly so that Social Security Numbers no longer appear on driver's licenses.

If you haven’t already done so, please respond to the following surveys.

• Florida - Emergency Contacts (Ends 10/23/2006)
• Arizona – Flat Plates (Ends 10/24/2006)
• Quebec – Price Increase in License Plate Material (10/20/2006)
• Wisconsin – Instruction Permits to Drivers 18+ (10/27/2006)
• Maryland – Online Driver Improvement Program (Ends 10/18/2006)

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If you have any questions about using the new survey tool, please contact Janice Dluzynski.