Inside This Issue...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has filed rules with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designed to implement the Real ID ACT. The act prohibits federal agencies from accepting a driver's license or personal identification card (license) for an "official purpose" unless it has been issued by a state that has certified to, and been determined by DHS to meet, the requirements of the act. The rulemaking establishes minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards that federal agencies would accept for official purposes as required under the Real ID Act of 2005. DHS is issuing this rule in consultation with the Department of Transportation, other representatives of the federal government, and representatives from many states, as required under the act. The rules are currently unavailable to the public since OMB is reviewing them under the Administrative Procedures Act. OMB has 90 days to give feedback to DHS. When DHS publishes the rules in the Federal Register, the public will have access. When reviewing the DHS Unified Regulatory Agenda, it looks like the agency is aiming for March/April 2007 to get the NPRM published, but this depends on how long it takes OMB to review the rule

AAMVA is pleased to announce that the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) Release 2.2 was successfully implemented in production on Dec. 17, 2006. The changes include revisions to accommodate NY/NJ titles and to allow batch states to receive notification that a vehicle has been retitled in another state. Since the move occurred, there have been no problems reported by any participating state. AAMVA has successfully passed the post go-live stabilization period and is working with NY/NJ on implementing their batch participation. Please contact the NMVTIS Helpdesk at 1-888-AAMVA-80 for more information.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposes to amend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to merge information from the medical certificate into the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) process as required by section 215 of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 (MCSIA). This NPRM would implement section 215 by requiring interstate CDL holders subject to the physical qualification requirements of the FMCSRs to provide a current original or copy of their medical examiner’s certificates to their State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA). It would also require the SDLA to record on the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) driver record the certification the driver made regarding applicability of 49 CFR part 391, and, for drivers subject to part 391, the medical status information proposed in this NPRM. The driver’s certification as to the applicability of part 391 and the specified medical certification status information would be made available to personnel authorized in 49 CFR part 384 via CDLIS and National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (NLETS) electronic inquiries, and on the CDLIS motor vehicle record (CDLIS MVR) obtained by employers and drivers. CDL drivers would no longer be required to carry the medical examiner’s certificate, because their certification status would be verified electronically. Comments must be received by Feb. 14, 2007. They may be submitted at http://dms.dot.gov or the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. All submissions must include the agency name and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this rulemaking (RIN 2126-AA10). Please forward a copy of your comments to Karen Morton at kmorton@aamva.org or Pam Walker at pwalker@aamva.org.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released fiscal year 2007 grant guidance and application kits for five grant programs that will total roughly $1.7 billion in funding for state and local counterterrorism efforts. The five programs that comprise the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) emphasize interoperable communications, information sharing and citizen preparedness. HSGP fiscal year 2007 funding totals are: State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)- $509.3 million; Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP)- $363.8 million; Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)- $746.9 million; Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)- $32.0 million; and Citizen Corps Program (CCP)- $14.6 million. The department has refined its programs to allow the six highest risk UASI cities for the first time to apply up to 25 percent of their award toward current state and local personnel dedicated exclusively to counterterrorism field operations. More than 100 law enforcement, emergency management and homeland security experts from federal, state and urban areas will form peer review panels to assess this year’s grant applications. DHS expects to announce grant allocations by summer 2007.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced that Rose A. McMurray has been appointed Chief Safety Officer and Assistant Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). McMurray has been FMCSA’s Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development since 2003. She has more than 30 years of experience at the U.S. Department of Transportation, serving in a variety of Associate Administrator and other senior leadership roles in several operating administrations, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, when that agency was responsible for commercial motor vehicle safety, and the former Research and Special Programs Administration, where she served as Acting Administrator for one year.  

AAMVA's 2007 Law Institute will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Hilton Pittsburgh from Aug. 4-8, 2007. The Legal Services Discipline is soliciting your suggestions for potential presentations in developing the agenda for the 2007 AAMVA Motor Vehicle & Traffic Law Institute. Please submit your ideas for session topics and/or speakers. Return forms to AAMVA no later than Jan. 16. Hotel rooms will be $91 per night and registration is $550 for members and $650 for non-members. Breakfast will not be provided, however, lunch will be provided on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s Law Institute in Pittsburg, Aug. 4-8, 2007

The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Board of Directors will meet Jan. 15-16, 2007 at the Four Points Sheraton Phoenix Metro Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Board will meet on Jan. 15, 1-5 pm and Jan. 16, 8 am-12pm. This UCR Board meeting is being held in conjunction with the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS) annual winter meeting. Watch for future updates on the UCR program on the AAMVA Web site. For additional information on the UCR and other MCS programs, contact Tim Adams, program director, Motor Carrier Services, at (502) 845-0398 or via e-mail at Tadams@aamva.org.

Before the holidays, AAMVA met with the General Accountability Office (GAO) to discuss the hazardous materials endorsement (HME) program. GAO is writing a report to submit to Congress. As part of this study, GAO is requesting information from state agencies responsible for collecting driver biographical and biometric information related to the HME background check program. GAO
is interested in understanding what the states' roles and responsibilities are regarding the HME background record checks and the related process for collecting and transmitting the data to TSA and the FBI. The GAO would like to visit a couple of states that use the TSA agent and states that operate their own program. If your state is willing to participate in a visit, contact AAMVA's Pam Walker at pwalker@aamva.org. GAO has also asked AAMVA to forward questions to the states. Please complete these questions or forward them to the appropriate person as soon as possible. GAO would appreciate your response within two weeks. Once completed, send your responses to Gary Malavenda at malavendag@gao.gov or fax to (404) 679-1819. If your response will be delayed or if you have questions, contact Malavenda via e-mail or at (404) 679-1844.

The AAA Foundation has released a report entitled "How Risky Is It?" that details a 100-car Naturalistic Driving Study conducted over a 12- to 13-month period by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). The study, funded by the AAA Foundation, collected naturalistic, continuous, real-time data from a sample of 109 primary drivers and 132 secondary drivers in the northern Virginia/Wahington, DC area. The AAA Foundation is offering free copies of the report, which is available online at www.aaafoundation.org. For more information, contact info@aaafoundation.org.

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

• AAMVA - SSN Collection Processes and Best Practices (Ends 1/19/07)
• South Dakota – Auto Recyclers (Ends 1/30/07)
• West Virginia – “Whizzer” Motorbike (Motor Driven Cycle) (Ends 2/05/07)
• Idaho – DMV Systems (Ends 1/12/07)

AAMVA is pleased to announce a scholarship in memory of Sean Doherty and Deborah Jaeger of TML, which will financially assist member jurisdictions with training of commercial driver's license (CDL) examiners by allowing them to attend the AAMVA Certified Commercial Examiner (CCE) program. Provided by the North American Driver Safety Foundation (NADSF), the scholarship will enable CCE participation for jurisdictions who have not participated in the past due to financial reasons. Deborah Jaeger spent the last 10 years of her life dedicated to working in the CDL Program environment and was one of the original founders of NADSF. Sean Doherty was the Chief Executive Officer of TML Information Services, Inc. and the Chairman of the Board for the North American Driver Safety Foundation. Both Jaeger and Doherty were leaders in promoting safe driving and were coauthors of the CDL Effectiveness Study for the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Services Administration, a report to Congress that was instrumental in the implementation of updated federal regulations embodied in the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act. Additional information on the scholarship will be distributed as enrollment details are finalized. For more information, contact Kevin Lewis at (703) 908-2823.