Inside This Issue...

The House passed HR 1195 by voice vote. The legislation will tweak a six-$286.5 billion highway law and swap projects funded under that law and replace them with other projects. In addition, it would grant a commission six more months to explore highway funding alternatives.

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• Ohio – Driver Records (Ends 03/28/2007)
• Washington – Sick Leave Accrual (Ends 04/06/2007)
• AAMVA - Citation of CDL Holder for BAC > .04 in CMV (Ends 04/06/2007)
• Connecticut – Unofficial Web Sites (Ends 04/10/2007)
• California – Road Test for Dementia (Ends 04/30/2007)

AAMVA will be conducting a disaster recovery drill in production NCS on Sunday, April 1, 2007, from 9 am to 12 pm (eastern time). The purpose of this drill is to test the ability to switch the Network Control Software from its primary to secondary host site in the event that the primary site becomes inoperable. AAMVA has requested contact information of all NCS subscribers for emergency use only during the drill. AAMVA has also requested that all subscribers verify their IP configurations, and if at all possible, establish a connection to production NCS by 9 am on the day of the drill. No additional activity is required of subscribers. For additional information, contact  NCS2support@aamva.org.

The redesigned Web site (www.mmucc.us) for the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) voluntary crash data guidelines has gone online. The site gives visitors instant access to the MMUCC data elements, web-based training and background information. First developed in 1998 by a team of traffic records experts, MMUCC is a set of voluntary guidelines for states to collect more accurate, consistent crash data that are more effective for identifying traffic safety problems, establishing goals and performance measures, and monitoring the progress of problems. A panel of experts has updated the MMUCC data elements every five years since they were established, and the next updated version will be released in 2008. In the months leading up to the release of the updated MMUCC guidelines, an expert panel will hold a series of meetings to develop the new data set. In addition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), other groups that are helping to update MMUCC include the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and USDOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration.  
 

The Privacy Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is making available six Privacy Impact Assessments on various programs and systems in the Department. These assessments were approved and published on the Privacy Office’s Web site between Jan. 1, 2007 and Jan. 31, 2007. The Privacy Impact Assessments will be available on the DHS Web site until May 21, 2007, after which they may be obtained by contacting the DHS Privacy Office.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is soliciting applications for federal grant funding and issuing supplemental notice and information to eligible grantees concerning discretionary grant funds available for obligation in Fiscal Year 2007 under eight discretionary grant programs. It seeks applications (either new or amended) to the programs that both meet the programs’ respective statutory criteria and emphasize the proposed projects’ highway safety and congestion reduction benefits. The FHWA will make its funding determinations through a merit-based selection process. This notice applies to the following programs: the Ferry Boat Discretionary Program (23 U.S.C. 147), the Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program (23 U.S.C. 503(b)), the Interstate Maintenance Discretionary Program (23 U.S.C. 118(c)), Public Lands Highway Discretionary Program (23 U.S.C. 202-204), the Highways for Life Pilot (HfL) Program ( § 1502 of Pub. L. 109-59), the Transportation Community and System Preservation Program ( § 1117 of Pub. L. 109-59), the Truck Parking Facilities Pilot Program ( § 1305 of Pub. L. 109-59), and the Delta Region Transportation Development Program ( § 1308 of Pub. L. 109-59). Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2007. Applications should be submitted electronically in MS Word format by eligible applicants, generally state transportation departments, by following the instructions provided under the Supplemental Action Memoranda issued by FHWA to the State DOTs for the above-referenced discretionary programs. The Supplemental Action Memoranda for the various discretionary programs are posted on the FHWA Web site.

On March 23, the Department of Homeland Security signed a memorandum of agreement with Washington state to launch a pilot program testing the use of an enhanced driver’s license for entering the United States by land or sea. The enhanced driver’s license will contain security features similar to a U.S. passport and cost $40. They will be available faster than the six- to eight-week wait for a passport and Washington residents can voluntarily apply for one. The pilot program will test whether the enhanced license can fulfill the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires certain travelers entering the United States to present a passport or other approved documents proving citizenship and identity.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, published a final rule on Jan. 25, 2007 that establishes requirements for merchant mariners and workers who need unescorted access to secure areas of maritime facilities and vessels. These individuals must successfully complete a security threat assessment conducted by TSA and hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) in order to enter secure areas without escort. As required by statute, all TWIC applicants must pay a user fee to cover TSA’s costs to enroll applicants, complete security threat assessments, and issue biometric credentials. With this notice, DHS announces the user fees as follows: The total standard fee for a TWIC applicant is $137.25 and the reduced fee for applicants who have completed a prior comparable threat assessment is $105.25. This notice is effective March 20, 2007.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing an extension of the public comment period within the context of proposed heavy-duty onboard diagnostics (OBD) requirements. (72 FR 3200, January 24, 2007). Specifically, the EPA is extending the comment period for comments pertaining to the proposed service information availability requirements for engines used in highway vehicles over 14,000 pounds. The comment period will be extended from March 26, 2007 to May 4, 2007. EPA is extending the comment period in response to a request to do so from the Engine Manufacturers Association. Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0047, via http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) invites comments on its plan to request the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval of a new information collection (IC) associated with the agency’s study to investigate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver risk factors. The study will be conducted by a research contractor. This IC will aid FMCSA in developing future safety initiatives by examining a wide array of driver and situational factors to determine if they are associated with increased or decreased crash involvement. This notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments must be submitted on or before May 22, 2007. You may submit comments identified by the FMCSA Docket Number FMCSA-2007-25652 via http://dms.dot.gov.

A group of law enforcement officials from around the United States met with officials of the FBI, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and other components of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to discuss ways to encourage and assist with the full implementation of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS).  During the two-day meeting, which was held on March 19-20, 2007, the Department of Justice reaffirmed their commitment to the NMVTIS program, recognizing the short- and long-term capabilities of the system to provide law enforcement with an authoritative source of state VIN and vehicle registration information on a national level. During the meeting, the group was informed that the DOJ and FBI leadership has been fully briefed on NMVTIS and agreed that the system would offer not only a way to attack VIN cloning, but assist with combating vehicle theft, terrorism related to car theft and title fraud, and consumer protection.