Inside This Issue...

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)  Level II: April 2-5, 2007 (comprises FDR Levels I & II); cut-off March 16
• FDR Instructor Certification: May 21-25; cut-off May 4 (prereq.: FDR Level II course)
• Vehicle Document Examiner Certification (VDEC) Instructor Course: March 26-29
; cut-off March 9 (prereq.: VDEC Basics course)
• VDEC Basics Course: May 7-8; cut off April 20
• VDEC Instructor Course: June 4-7; cut-off May 18 (prereq.: VDEC Basics course)
• Working with Customers Instructor Course: April 30-May 3
; cut-off April 13

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces the availability of Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) grant funding as authorized by Section 4126 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The program is a discretionary grant program that provides funding for states that are deploying, operating, and maintaining elements of their CVISN program, including commercial vehicle, commercial driver, and carrier-specific information systems and networks. The agency in each state designated as the primary agency which is responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the CVISN-related systems is eligible to apply for grant funding. To be eligible to apply for grant funding, each state must have received prior approval by FMCSA of its most current CVISN Program Plan and Top-Level Design. Applications for grant funding must be submitted electronically to FMCSA through the grants.gov Web site. The closing date for applications is March 31, 2007.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has forwarded an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of a new information collection. The agency published a Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on Nov. 24, 2006. Submit comments for the request by March 28, 2007. You may send comments 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-2007-26843. The information collection is titled "Motorcycle Crash Causation Study and Pilot Motorcycle Crash Causes and Outcomes Study." Congress has recognized increasing motorcycle fatalities as a problem and directed the DOT to conduct research that will provide a better understanding of the causes of motorcycle crashes. Specifically, in Section 5511 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Pub. L. 109-59, Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to the Oklahoma Transportation Center (OTC) for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive, in-depth motorcycle crash causation study that employs the common international methodology for in-depth motorcycle crash investigation developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its proposed timetables and requirements for the Real ID Act (PL 109-13), which mandates a new nationally uniform driver’s license. The Real ID Act requires states to comply with minimum security standards for issuing driver’s licenses or identification cards. The proposed rule is subject to a 60-day comment period. It stipulates that DHS would extend the compliance deadline of May 11, 2008  until Dec. 31, 2009 if requested by a state. States seeking an extension would have to request one by Oct. 1, 2007. If they receive extensions, states would have to submit proposed timetables for compliance. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) estimates the total cost of the rule  will be $17.2 billion over a decade (or $23.1 billion if inflation is factored in). Over 10 years, states will bear $10.7 billion in costs, the federal government $451 million, and the private sector $7 million, the NPRM estimates. Under the proposal, states could use up to 20 percent of their homeland security grant funding to comply with the law. Congress has appropriated $40 million for Real ID in the fiscal 2006 Homeland Security appropriations law (PL 109-90).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other participating agencies are planning to host a two-day public workshop to explore the role of authentication processes in preventing identity theft. The workshop will provide a forum for discussion among public sector, private sector, and consumer representatives about better ways to authenticate the identities of individuals. AAMVA's Selden Fritschner has been asked to speak at the conference, titled "Workshop, Proof Positive: New Directions for ID Authentication." It will be held on April 23, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 24, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the Federal Trade Commission’s Satellite Building Conference Center located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The events are open to the public and attendance is free of charge. There will be no pre-registration. Written requests to participate as a panelist in the workshop must be filed on or before March 9, 2007. Persons filing requests to participate as a panelist will be notified on or before March 23, 2007, if they have been selected to participate.

We are 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! Pull out those cameras and brush up on those skills! Be sure to review the submission guidelines and release form. Make note of the upcoming themes and deadlines for submission. The deadline for summer 2007 is March 12 (right around the corner!) and the theme is "Foundations for Building Better Service." E-mail move@aamva.org with questions...and good luck!

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a public listening session to obtain feedback from interested parties on the agency’s Jan. 18, 2007 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to establish new performance standards for EOBRs, require the use of these devices by certain motor carriers, and to provide incentives for the voluntary use of such devices by the industry. The listening session will provide all interested parties with an opportunity to share their views on the Agency’s EOBR rulemaking. All oral comments will be transcribed and placed in the public docket identified at the beginning of this notice. The listening session will be held on March 12, 2007, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Individuals who wish to make a formal presentation should contact Deborah Freund at (202) 366-4009 deborah.freund@dot.gov no later than 5 p.m. on March 8, 2007. The meeting will be held in Room 2230, Nassif Building, DOT Headquarters, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.

The Senate has introduced in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation S. 694, a bill that would direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside or outside of light motor vehicles, and for other purposes. The bill is titled the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act, and is meant to improve the child safety features in new vehicles. Since 2000, over 1,150 children have died in non-traffic, non-crash incidents, and this number has been steadily rising. The average age of victims in these cases is just 1 year old, and in 70 percent of backover cases, a parent, relative or close friend is behind the wheel. The bill would require a detection system to alert drivers to the presence of a child behind the vehicle. Second, it would ensure that power windows automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction—preventing children from being trapped, injured or killed. And finally, the bill would require the vehicle service break to be engaged in order to prevent vehicles from unintentionally rolling away. The bill also establishes a child safety information program administered by the Secretary of Transportation to collect non-traffic, non-crash incident data and disseminate information to parents about these hazards and ways to mitigate them.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published the schedule for the meetings of the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Advisory Committee. Pursuant to section 4135 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), the Secretary of Transportation established this advisory committee to study and address current impediments and foreseeable challenges to the CDL program’s effectiveness and measures needed to realize the full safety potential of the CDL program. Members of the advisory committee will include state motor vehicle administrators, organizations representing government agencies or officials, members of the Judicial Conference, representatives of the trucking industry, representatives of labor organizations, safety advocates, and other significant stakeholders. Meetings of the committee will take place on: March 20-22, 2007, April 17-19, 2007, and May 15-17, 2007. For more information, contact Lloyd E. Goldsmith, Transportation Specialist, CDL Division, at (202) 366-2964 or lloyd.goldsmith@dot.gov.

The AAMVA Steering Committee recently approved the charters for the creation of three new working groups proposed by the Vehicle Standing Committee. The UCR Working Group will serve as a forum to monitor the development and implementation of the Unified Carrier Registration Act (UCRA) program. The group will provide comments, suggestions, and input to ensure the interests of the AAMVA membership are communicated to the UCR Board of Directors. The HVUT Working Group will serve as a forum within the AAMVA MCS community for consideration of matters relating to jurisdiction processes for collection of proof of payment of the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT). The group will work to identify and address issues relating to the member jurisdictions and industry compliance with HVUT. The Junk and Salvage Working Group will serve as a forum within AAMVA to research and discuss alternative methods that junk and salvage dealers, as well as insurance companies, could report information for junk, salvage, and total loss vehicles to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). When possible, the group will coordinate its efforts with any similar efforts undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) or other federal or state organizations. Additional details regarding the working groups may be obtained by contacting Keith Kiser at kkiser@aamva.org.