Senate Bill Would Affect Enhanced Driver's License 
The Senate will debate legislation (S. 4) this week that addresses 9-11 Commission recommendations. Maine Republican Susan Collins plans to offer an amendment (S. 563) that would delay implementation of Real ID. Under the Real ID Act, states will have to overhaul their motor vehicle bureaus and issue driver’s licenses and identification cards with machine-readable technology. Last month, the Maine Legislature became the first in the country to pass a resolution opposing the law. However, AAMVA has learned that the Department of Homeland Security will publish the 300-page Real ID rules within the next week. The S. 4 bill includes provisions requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to sign a memorandum of agreement to initiate a pilot program with not less than one state to determine if an enhanced driver’s license may permit the individual to use the driver’s license to meet the documentation requirements for entry into the United States from Canada at the land and sea ports of entry for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The enhanced license is machine-readable and tamper-proof and is not valid for certification of citizenship for any purpose other than admission into the United States from Canada.
Don't Miss These AAMVA University Courses
Take your training to a higher level! Sign up today for a course with AAMVA University. Following are upcoming courses to be held in Arlington, Virginia. Or, AAMVA University can personalize training for your jurisdictional facility. Visit
www.aamva-u.org for details or to register online!
Fraudulent Document Recognition (FDR):
FDR Level II Course: April 2-5, 2007 (4 days/comprises FDR Levels I & II); $650; cut-off March 16
FDR Instructor Certification Course: May 21-25 (5 days); $750; cut-off May 4 (prerequisite: FDR Level II course)
Vehicle Document Examiner Certification (VDEC):
VDEC Instructor Course: March 26-29 (4 days); $650; cut-off March 9 (prerequisite: VDEC 2-day course)
VDEC Course: May 7-8 (2 days); $500 per person; cut off April 20
VDEC Instructor Course: June 4-7 (4 days); $650 per person; cut-off May 18 (prerequisite: VDEC 2-day course)
Working With Customers (WWC):
WWC Instructor Course: April 30-May 3 (4 days); $650 per person; cut-off April 13
Fit to Drive Congress to Be Held in June
The second international Fit to Drive Congress will be held in Vienna, June 14-15, 2007. The conference, themed "Reality and Vision - Common Problems, European Solutions," focuses on the topic of fitness to drive and related road safety matters in Europe. As the second in a series of similar events, Fit to Drive is organized by the German Association of Technical Inspection Agencies in cooperation with the Austrian Road Safety Board and several scientific and professional organizations. One of the objectives is to contribute toward halving road traffic fatalities within the EU to 25,000 by 2010. Speakers from EU institutions and a range of European countries will address the following topics: primary prevention in pre-school, school and driver education and training; general prevention through legislation and enforcement, demerit point systems; secondary prevention with a special focus on the persistent drunk-driver; risk assessment in medical and psychological matters; driver counselling, assessment, rehabilitation and therapy in different countries of the EU; interlock systems and rehabilitation and comparative studies of traffic safety in Europe. Further details about the event are available on the Fit to Drive Web site.
DHS May Alter Passport Requirements for U.S. and Canadian Children Entering at Sea or Land Ports
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that it would like to exempt U.S. and Canadian children from the new passport-carrying requirements to be implemented in 2008. The requirements are part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires certain travelers entering the United States to present a passport or other approved documents denoting citizenship and identity. The implementation of the sea and land portion of WHTI has been delayed to June 1, 2009, or when various technical requirements are met. The air portion was implemented in January and will not be affected by the new announcement, which affects only the land and sea portion. The new change would allow U.S. and Canadian citizens, ages 15 and younger with parental consent, to cross the U.S. border at land and sea ports with a certified copy of their birth certificate as an alternative to a passport. U.S. and Canadian citizen children ages 16 through 18 traveling with school or religious groups, social or cultural organizations, or sports teams, would also be able to enter in the same way.
FHWA Issues Final Rule on Size and Weight Enforcement and Regulations
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a
final rule that amends the regulations governing the enforcement of commercial vehicle size and weight to incorporate provisions enacted in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU); the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and; the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006. This final rule adds various definitions; corrects obsolete references, definitions, and footnotes; eliminates redundant provisions; amends numerical route changes to the National Highway designations; and incorporates statutorily mandated weight and length limit provisions. This final rule is effective March 22, 2007. Internet users may access this document, the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), and all comments received by the U.S. DOT Docket by using the universal resource locator (URL)
http://dms.dot.gov.
New Program to Allow U.S. Trucks into Mexico
Under a year-long pilot program, U.S. trucks will for the first time be allowed to make deliveries in Mexico. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters recently announced that U.S. trucks will get to make deliveries into Mexico and a select group of Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries beyond the 20-25 mile commercial zones in place along the Southwest border. The new program simplifies the process that currently requires Mexican truckers to stop and wait for U.S. trucks to arrive and transfer cargo. DOT has implemented a rigorous inspection program to ensure the safe operation of Mexican trucks crossing the border. Those Mexican truck companies that may be allowed to participate in the program will be required to have insurance with a U.S. licensed firm and meet all U.S. safety standards.
DOT Issues Notice of Request for Renewal of a Previously Approved Collection
The Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance published a document in the
Federal Register on Aug. 4, 2006 concerning a request for an extension of a previously approved information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal. The information collection, titled "Procedures for Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Program," affects the Transportation Industry (i.e., Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) and the United States Coast Guard when calculating their random testing rates. The Annual Estimated Burden Hours on Respondents is 695,300.Comments on this notice must be received by March 23, 2007 and sent to the attention of the DOT/OST Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Docket library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503 or
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.
Region I Conference Registration Now Open
AAMVA will be holding its Region I Conference in Washington, D.C., July 26-31, 2007. This year's theme, Navigating Real Challenges, will allow attendees to explore Real ID, among other issues, and the challenges these issues bring to jurisdictions throughout the nation. Planning is underway to bring you an informative and event-filled meeting ... that you won't want to miss!
Registration and details are now available on AAMVA's Web site.
Share Information with Other Jurisdictions
If you haven’t already done so, please respond to the following surveys.
Legislation Would Limit Fees for Driver Background Checks
A bill (HR 1079) sponsored by Russ Carnahan (D-MO) would amend Title 49, U.S. Code, to limit fees imposed in connection with background checks for the issuance of licenses to operate a motor vehicle transporting a hazardous material, and for other purposes. The bill was introduced in the House on Feb. 15, and is also cited as the “Professional Driver Background Check Efficiency Act of 2007." It would amends Section 5103a(d) of title 49, U.S. Code, by adding at the end the following: “(3) COST.—The total amount of a fee imposed upon a person to cover costs, including administrative and other costs, associated with carrying out a background records check under this section shall not exceed $50."
Check Out the New Move Magazine Online
The winter 2007 issue of
Move magazine
is in the mail, but you can take a sneak peek with the new online format!
Move subscribers and AAMVA members can click over to
http://www.aamva.org/Publications/Move/ for a full PDF of the issues
and supplementary articles that you won't find in the hard copy. Want to read about some of the notable work your colleagues are doing? Check out the Excellence department, where we salute the 2006 Examiners of the Year. Or, take a look at Projects and read how the Minnesota DPS made a splash with its 2005 holiday safety ad campaign. If technology is more your thing, see the At Your Service department, where we discuss how the growth of Internet transacations has led to more security needs. Don't miss out on all the extras
Move online has to offer!
Oregon Participates in SSOLV
Oregon is the 47th jurisdiction to participate in the Social Security Number Online Verification (SSOLV). The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) expanded its service to allow online SSN verification. The DMVs are now designated by the SSA as authorized to obtain SSN verification information either in batch or online mode. Online support allows a jurisdiction to verify an individual's SSN during the driver's license issuance or renewal process, while an applicant is still at the counter. AAMVA has developed an SSOLV package to assist jurisdictions in implementation. The
complete list of participating jurisdictions is available on AAMVA's Web site. For more information on how to participate in this program, contact the AAMVA Operations Department at (888) 226-8280 option 3.
NHTSA Requests Comments on Amendements to Highway Safety Program Guidelines
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 Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking comments on
proposed amendments to six of the existing guidelines and one new guideline to reflect program methodology and approaches that have proven to be successful and are based on sound science and program administration. The guidelines the agency proposes to revise are as follows: Guideline No. 4 Driver Education; Guideline No. 5 Non-Commercial Driver Licensing (formerly Driver Licensing); Guideline No. 7 Judicial and Court Services (formerly Traffic Courts); Guideline No. 10 Traffic Records; Guideline No. 17 Pupil Transportation Safety; and Guideline No. 21 Roadway Safety. This notice also proposes a new guideline, Guideline No. 12 Prosecutor Training and Outreach. You should submit your comments early enough to ensure that Docket Management receives them no later than 30 days after publication in the
Federal Register (March 6). You may submit comments in writing to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or electronically at
http://dms.dot.gov . Please also send a copy of your comments to AAMVA's Kevin Lewis at klewis@aamva.org or Selden Fritschener at sfritschener@aamva.org.
Tire Firms Sue Over Pressure Monitoring Rule
Beginning Sept. 1, 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has mandated that all vehicles under 10,000 pounds must have a tire pressure monitoring system that transmits the tire's air pressure to an onboard computer. But tire makers and safety advocates want the system to alert drivers faster than its current time, which is 20 minutes within detecting pressure that is 25 percent or more below the recommended inflation level. Public Citizen, along with tire makers Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Bridgestone/Firestone North America, Cooper Tire & Rubber and Pirelli Tire, and the industry trade group Tire Industry Association, have filed a suit against the U.S. Transportation Department and NHTSA. It has been estimated that the requirements will cost automakers up to $1.2 billion annually to fully implement, beginning in the 2008 model year.
DOT Calls for Free Helmets with Motorcycle Purchases
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters recently called on manufacturers to provide free or heavily discounted DOT-certified helmets or driver safety training with the purchase of every new motorcycle sold in the United States. According to Peters, 58 percent of riders wear helmets today, which is down 13 percent from just four years ago. Though motorcycles account for only two percent of the vehicles on the road, they are involved in over 10 percent of all crashes. Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years and now account for over 4,500 highway deaths and 78,000 injuries each year. Even worse, the crash rate among motorcyclists in the 50 plus age group has increased by over 400 percent. Last September, DOT awarded over $6 million in safety grants to states to support motorcycle safety. In addition, the Federal Highway Administration has established a Motorcycle Advisory Council to focus on making roads safer for motorcyclists and will continue work begun by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a Motorcycle Crash Causation Study to identify why motorcycle crashes occur and find ways to reduce the fatality and injury rates.
Two More Jurisdictions Sign On to HAVV
New Hampshire and West Virginia are the 33rd and 34th jurisdictions to participate in Help America Vote Verification (HAVV). The Help America Vote Act (HAVA–P.L.107-252) requires individuals registering to vote to provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security Number. HAVA also specifies that a state election official and motor vehicle authority must match the information in the registration database with that in the driver’s license database. In addition, HAVA requires that the state motor vehicle agency enter into an agreement with the Social Security Administration to verify voter registration information. The
complete list of participating jurisdictions is available on AAMVA's Web site. For more information on how to participate in this program, contact the AAMVA Operations Department at (888) 226-8280, option 3.
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