Inside This Issue...

The early bird gets the worm! AAMVA's 2006 Fall Workshop will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nov. 14-16. Register before the early bird cut-off date and enter your name to win a pair of tickets to the Timberwolves/Trail Blazers basketball game on Nov. 14.  Don't miss FMCSA Administrator John Hill 's interactive session  on 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. Don't miss early bird registration! For more details and to register online, visit the Events section of AAMVA's Web site.

The new Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Board of Directors met Oct. 11, 2006, in Washington, DC, to continue to develop the UCR Agreement, the UCR Plan, UCR Fee Structure and other work related to the development and implementation of the UCR. Two key decisions were made:

• When the new proposed fee structure is adopted by the Board and sent to the U.S. DOT for approval, there must be a one vehicle fee block. The UCR Board voted to require the new proposed fee structure contain a zero to one vehicle fee category.
• The UCR Board now requires jurisdictions intending to participate in the UCR for the 2007 year to submit a state plan by Nov. 1, 2006. If your jurisdiction intends to participate and collect fees under the UCR in 2007, you will need to complete and submit your state plan to FMCSA by Nov. 1, 2006. 

For additional information on UCR, visit the AAMVA's Web site or contact Tim Adams at (502) 845-0398, e-mail tadams@aamva.org.

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

• Missouri – Vehicle Registration (Ends 10/27/2006)
• Oregon – Monitoring for Fraud (Ends 11/08/2006)
• Nevada – Use of Social Security Number (Ends 10/31/2006)
• Georgia – Motor Vehicle Title and Registration System (Ends 11/03/06)

A Government Accountabiltiy Office (GAO) report shows that the port worker credential program did not take into account vulnerabilities of terrorism. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) contracted BearingPoint, Inc. to test the new credential, a card known as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) that will be required for all port workers entering secure areas. A prototype was tested by BearingPoint Inc. at 26 port locations in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, Philadelphia-Wilmington area and at some of Florida’s deep-water ports. The GAO report found that a quarter of the requirements for a testing contract were not met, including the need to revoke lost or stolen cards before new cards are issued. While the GAO recommended that TSA further test the program, the agency has decided to go ahead with the credential and plans to enroll port workers in the program by the end of the year. However, TSA will delay a requirement that maritime facilities install card readers. For a copy of GAO's report, see GAO's Web site.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) invites comments on its plan to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew an information collection concerning the requirements set forth in 49 CFR parts 391 and 398 for the following activities: (1) A medical examination form and certificate to be completed by a licensed medical examiner; (2) The submission of an application to FMCSA for the Agency to resolve conflicts of medical evaluations between medical examiners; (3) A driver qualification (DQ) file for: (a) Motor carriers to include the medical certificate; (b) motor carriers of migrant workers to include a doctor’s certificate for every driver employed or used by them; and (c) motor carriers to include a Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) certificate issued to a driver with a limb disability; and (4) Information collected from carriers, drivers and interested parties used in Agency determinations for granting exemptions from the vision and diabetes requirements in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). This notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments must be submitted on or before Dec. 18, 2006. All comments should reference Docket No. FMCSA-2006-25504. You may mail or hand deliver comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590; telefax comments to (202) 493-2251; or submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. For more information, contact Dr. Mary D. Gunnels at (202) 366-4001 or maggi.gunnels@dot.gov.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is holding a public listening session to obtain feedback on the Agency’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative (CSA 2010), a comprehensive review and analysis of FMCSA’s current commercial motor carrier safety and enforcement programs. FMCSA will use the upcoming listening session to inform the public on the conceptual direction and progress of CSA 2010, and obtain feedback from its partners and stakeholders. To facilitate the upcoming listening session, FMCSA has included in this notice a number of questions that commenters are invited to address. The Public Listening Session will be held on Nov. 16, 2006 from 8 am to 1:30 pm Written comments must be received by Dec. 18, 2006. The Session will be held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20001. You may submit comments identified by docket number FMCSA-2004-18898 at http://dmses.dot.gov or via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.

The purpose of the Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Discretionary Grant Program is to encourage state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to focus on the effective management of juvenile and adult sex offenders. Grantees will develop and implement management strategies for offenders that span the sanctioning continuum and specifically address the transition from corrections institutions to community life. Grantees will identify, develop, and implement a set of strategies to improve the management of sex offenders. Chosen jurisdictions must be willing to engage in an open, collaborative process with BJA and its technical assistance provider, the Center for Sex Offender Management. A 25 percent match is required for this grant program, and federal funding amount may not exceed 75 percent of the total project costs. Grants up to $250,000 will be awarded to a diverse group of jurisdictions for a grant period of two years. The closing date applications is Dec. 7, 2006.

AAMVA recently made changes to the data on samples submitted for Courtesy Verification Program (CVP) testing. The CVP is a free service provided to AAMVA members through an arrangement with Intelli-Check, Inc. The CVP provides an effective way for AAMVA members to determine if their driver's licenses and identification (DL/ID) cards and other eligible documents conform to the applicable AAMVA standards and specifications. AAMVA recommends that its members submit DL/ID cards for CVP testing before introducing any new configuration or design and at least annually after that. In addition, jurisdictions may use CVP testing as part of their vendor selection process. For more information about CVP, including a link to the new forms, visit AAMVA's Web site or contact Rich Carter at rcarter@aamva.org.

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has just released an educational primer for judges on ignition interlocks entitled, “Ignition Interlocks: From Research to Practice.” This user-friendly document is designed to provide judges with comprehensive information addressing the scientific, technical, and practical challenges and issues that are often raised regarding interlocks. The primer contains a summary of key research findings about interlocks, an outline of the technological features of interlocks, and a section addressing common judicial concerns. State-specific legislative and program information for Florida has been included as part of the primer, and plans are underway to compile state-specific information for other jurisdictions. Funding for this educational primer was made possible by a grant from Alcohol Countermeasure Systems, Inc. Note this primer is currently available in hardcopy format only. For more information, or to obtain a copy of the primer, contact TIRF's Dean Morin at (613) 238-5235 or deanm@trafficinjuryresearch.com.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with the Department of State’s proposed rulemaking on the new PASSport card, has announced that it proposes to expand the use of vicinity radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at U.S. ports of entry. The vicinity RFID technology, to be compatible with the PASSport card, would allow a travel document to be read from several feet as a vehicle approaches inspection. The PASSport card, part of the People Access Security Service (PASS) System, is designed to meet the specific requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) for U.S. citizens crossing U.S. borders by land or sea. WHTI is the U.S. government’s plan to implement a provision of the Intelligence Reform Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires citizens of the United States, Canada, the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda and Mexico to have a passport or other designated document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. The proposal to expand the use of vicinity RFID technology is another step in the U.S. government’s layered plan to enhance our nation’s security, ensure the integrity of our immigration system, facilitate the flow of legitimate travel and trade, and protect the privacy of our citizens and visitors. The proposed regulations on the PASSport card are available for public viewing and comment at www.regulations.gov for a 60-day comment period. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is issuing an approved final Interstate Oasis Program policy document. Section 1310 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (Public Law 109-59, Aug. 10, 2005) requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop standards for designating certain facilities as Interstate Oasis and to design a uniform logo for such designated facilities. After consideration of public comments on a draft program and policy document, the FHWA has finalized the policies for the Interstate Oasis program. This notice took effect Oct. 18, 2006. An electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office of the Federal Register’s home page at www.archives.gov and the Government Printing Office’s Web site at www.access.gpo.gov. An electronic version of the Interstate Oasis program document may be downloaded at the FHWA Web site. For further information, contact Hari Kalla at (202) 366-5915.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) invites comments about the request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new information collection. The new information collection is associated with an agency study by a research contractor that will investigate motor carriers operating small passenger-transporting commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The collected information would assist FMCSA with outreach initiatives to these newly regulated motor carriers of passengers. This notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments must be submitted on or before Dec. 18, 2006. All comments should reference Docket No. FMCSA-2006-25652. You may mail or hand deliver comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590; telefax comments to (202) 493-2251; or submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. For more information, contact Peter Chandler at (202) 366-5763 or peter.chandler@dot.gov.

Section 7209 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), Public Law 108-458, 118 Stat. 3638 (Dec. 17, 2004), requires that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop and implement a plan to require virtually all travelers entering the U.S. to present a passport, other document, or combination of documents, that are “deemed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be sufficient to denote identity and citizenship." Section 7209 expressly limits the waiver of documentation requirements for U.S. citizens under section 215 (b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and eliminates the waiver of documentation requirements for categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements have previously been waived (citizens of Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda). U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda will be required to comply with the new document requirements of section 7209. The legislation also requires that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) seek to facilitate the frequent travel of those living in border communities.

This proposed rule addresses the travel facilitation requirement of this legislation. The administration’s proposal to address the remainder of the legislative requirements as set forth in section 7209, called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), is being addressed in separate rulemakings. The DOS will accept comments from the public up to Dec. 18, 2006. You may submit comments online at http://www.regulations.gov/index.cfm.