Inside This Issue...

As part of the preliminary research being conducted for development of the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) program, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in the process of identifying 5,000 medical examiners who currently perform physical examinations for CMV (commercial vehicle) drivers to complete a survey that will help define the role of the medical examiner. This includes 1,000 from each of the following professions: Advanced Practice Nurses, Doctors of Chiropractic, Doctors of Osteopathy, Medical Doctors, and Physician Assistants. If you currently perform these examinations, please volunteer to take part in this important survey by providing the information requested on FMCSA's survey page. Please encourage your colleagues who perform CMV driver physical examinations to participate as well. The survey must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), so a timeframe for distributing the survey has not yet been determined.

Do you think you can capture the issue theme with a photo? Give it a shot! As part of the magazine's new look, AAMVA is looking for the best photo that depicts the theme for each issue of MOVE. The selected photo will be used on the cover and viewed by thousands of readers. Make note of the upcoming theme and deadline for submission: Winter 2007 -- "Combating Criminal Behavior" - Deadline: Dec. 18, 2006. More information on submission details and requirements is available in the MOVE section of AAMVA's Web site.  The fall 2006 winner has been selected ... and will be announced Nov. 27!

Section 402 of title 23 of the U.S. Code requires the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate uniform guidelines for state highway safety programs. The National Highway Safety  Administration (NHTSA) has published a notice that revises six of the existing guidelines to reflect program methodologies and approaches that have proven to be successful and are based on sound science and program administration. The guidelines the agency is revising 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 are effective on Nov. 7, 2006. For more information, contact Susan Kirinich, Research and Program Development, at (202) 366-1755.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) invites public comments about its intention to request the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves state Departments of Transportation (STD) providing their Right-of-Way Operations Manuals to FHWA. The information to be collected will be used to certify that the manuals are representative of the states' right-of-way procedures and the information is necessary to comply with 23 Code of Federal Regulations Part 710.201(c). FHWA is required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Please submit comments identified by DOT DMS Docket Number FHWA-2006-26090 by Jan. 8, 2007. Comments may be submitted at http://dms.dot.gov. For more information, contact David Walterscheid at (720) 963-3073.

A bill (HR 6233) pending in the Senate would give a commission exploring alternatives for highway construction funding until the end of December 2007 to complete its work. The commission, mandated by the 2006 highway surface transportation authorization (PL 109-59), was originally supposed to report its findings by July 1, 2007. In addition to extending that deadline by six months, the bill would authorize an extra $2 million for the panel’s work. The group's final report is expected to discuss a debate about changing the funding mechanism that paid for construction of the nation’s Interstate highway system.

Not enough time or travel dollars to attend this year's PACE workshop? Then join us in sunny Minneapolis, Minnesota, via phone, Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 3:30 to 5 pm (Central Standard Time) for a 1.5-hour communicator's roundtable session. During this call you will meet other public information officers (PIOs) from state motor vehicle agencies across North America. Over the last ten years, this one session has been the most highly-requested and valued by PIOs year after year. To join, dial 1-877-358-8255 and use Conference ID 9947150. Please remember not to put us on hold during the call. We might be offended by your "on hold music" and may have to drop your call.

On Oct. 19-20, 2006, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) hosted over 300 government and industry officials at IdentEvent 2006, a policy conference and vendor showcase on identity management. Held in Tysons Corner, Virginia, the event featured many promiment speakers and ID solutions. Presentations are available on ITAA's Web site. AAMVA participated in the conference program.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has submitted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that addresses the confidentiality of certain information that manufacturers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment submit to NHTSA pursuant to the Early Warning Reporting (EWR) rule. The agency is proposing to create class determinations, based on Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), treating certain categories of EWR information as confidential, namely production numbers (excluding light vehicles), consumer complaints, paid warranty claims, and field reports. In addition, for EWR reports on deaths and injuries, NHTSA is proposing to create a class determination based on FOIA Exemption 6 that the last six characters of the vehicle identification number (VIN) are confidential. Finally, the agency is also proposing to clarify its Confidential Business Information rule with regard to confidentiality markings in submissions in electronic media. Comments on the proposal are due Jan. 2, 2007. They may be submitted at http://dms.dot.gov or via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. All submissions must include the agency name and Docket No. NHTSA-06-26140. For more information, contact Michael Kido, Office of Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at (202) 366-5263.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a public Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006 at 9:30 am in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC. The Board will review its Most Wanted List of safety improvements, a list that calls for action by federal agencies on the most critical transportation safety issues. The Most Wanted List was developed in 1990 to focus attention on safety improvements the Board believes will have the greatest impact on transportation safety. Some of the issues to be reviewed this year include: runway incursions, positive train control, motor carrier operations, bus and truck safety, and operator fatigue. A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board's Web site at www.ntsb.gov.  Technical support details are available on the Web site under "Board Meetings." To report any problems, call (703) 993-3100 and ask for Webcast Technical Support.

Interested in finding out more about AAMVA's Digital Image Exchange Program? If you plan to attend the 2006 Fall Workshop, here's your opportunity! As part of the "Highlighting Technology" session on Thursday, Nov. 16, AAMVA will share information on the Digital Image Exchange and how it is currently being rolled out nationwide. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about what your neighboring states are doing to implement the exchange and what the effort might mean to you. If you would prefer to meet as a smaller group with AAMVA during the conference, contact Nancy Carlson at (703) 908-2818 or ncarlson@aamva.org.

AAMVA recently added a new section to the web site entitled “AAMVA Card Design Specifications: FAQs." This section provides answers to questions AAMVA has received about the Card Design Specifications. The goal is provide consistent information and guidance regarding the specifications that will improve the consistency of implementations across the jurisdictions. AAMVA strongly encourage jurisdictions and vendors to refer to this section during their procurement and development processes. If you have additional questions you would like to see on the site or comments on this new section, e-mail  Rich Carter or call (703)908-8296.