Inside This Issue...

According to CQ, the International Biometric Industry Association (IABA) wants Congress to test using biometrics to verify if someone is eligible for employment in the United States. The Senate immigration bill as well as three recently introduced  immigration-related House bills all propose increasing the security of Social Security cards. While the Senate and the House differ on what type of biometric technology would be used, members of both parties are interested in using biometrics in employment eligibility verification. The proposed pilot program could determine which type of biometric is best, whether to store biometric information on a card or have it solely in a database, what related new equipment would cost employers, and how to make the enrollment process convenient. The employment eligibility verification form requires employers to examine certain documents, including the Social Security card, to verify if an employee is authorized to work in the U.S. But 94 combinations of documents can be used, and illegal workers often circumvent the process by using fake or stolen documents.

The Sept. 11 Commission bill to provide for the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission to fight the war on terror more effectively and to improve homeland security has been cleared for conference. The bill (HR 1) contains the collective bargaining provision, which would eliminate a personnel system that allows Transportation Security Administration screeners to join unions but not to bargain over working conditions. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that Republicans would lift their objections to a conference on the bill after Democrats promised to drop a provision giving airport screeners collective-bargaining rights. The Senate appointed conferees Biden and Lugar from the Committee on Foreign Relations.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval and invites public comment. The FMCSA requests approval to revise an ICR entitled, “Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL) and Test Standards.” This information collection is needed to ensure that drivers, motor carriers and the states are complying with notification and recordkeeping requirements for information related to testing, licensing, violations, convictions and disqualifications and that the information is accurate, complete and transmitted and recorded within certain time periods as required by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 (CMVSA), as amended. Comments must be received on or before Sept. 10, 2007. View the request for information notice (RFI) in the July 10 Federal Register.

In the July 10 Federal Register, the Coast Guard announced the availability of a Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 03-07 “Guidance for the Implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Program in the Maritime Sector.” The circular (NVIC 03-07) is available at the locations noted in the Federal Register notice beginning on July 6, 2007. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has the primary federal responsibility for reducing crashes involving large trucks and buses. FMCSA uses its “SafeStat” tool to select carriers for reviews for compliance with its safety regulations based on the carriers’ crash rates and prior safety violations. FMCSA then conducts these compliance reviews and can place carriers out of service if they are found to be operating unsafely. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessed the extent to which FMCSA identifies carriers that subsequently have high crash rates, how FMCSA ensures that its compliance reviews are conducted thoroughly and consistently, and the extent to which FMCSA follows up with carriers with serious safety violations. In June 2007, GAO recommended that FMCSA use a regression model approach to identify high-risk carriers. FMCSA agreed that this approach looks promising but is concerned that it results in less emphasis on other regulatory areas. GAO is considering several recommendations, including that FMCSA assess maximum penalties in situations which GAO believes the law requires. View the GAO report online for more details.

The CDL Advisory Committee, chartered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), concluded its work on July 12, 2007. As directed by SAFETEA-LU, the committee studied and addressed current impediments and challenges to the commercial driver’s license program’s effectiveness and identified measures needed to realize the full safety potential of the commercial driver’s license program. The Committee's recommendations will be contained in a report to Congress and will become a basis for the next Highway Reauthorization bill.

On July 12, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) annnounced that it will add three excise tax forms this year to the ever-expanding list of federal tax returns and schedules that can be filed electronically. The 2007 tax filing season set a number of electronic records, highlighted by more than 77 million electronically-filed individual tax returns.  IRS expects to receive the first electronically-filed excise tax return this summer, when Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return, becomes the first available excise tax return that can be e-filed. Last year, more than 575,000 Forms 2290 were filed with the IRS.  As the IRS begins implementation of electronic filing for excise tax returns later this year, taxpayers may continue to file paper Forms 2290, including those reporting 25 or more vehicles. IRS will issue further guidance regarding the applicable tax code section, IRC section 4481(e). Additional information about Electronic Excise is available on the IRS Web site, IRS.gov.

The House Appropriations committee approved the FY 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations (Transportation-HUD) bill which, fully funds the highway and transit guarantees set in the SAFETEA-LU authorization bill. The bill includes $40.2 billion to improved highway infrastructure; $599.3 million will be made available for grants to encourage safety belt use, prevent drinking and driving, improve child safety, motorcyclist safety, and other initiatives. The bill also rejects the Administration’s proposal to cut highway safety positions at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in order to ensure that highway safety programs are not compromised as the agency strives to reduce fatalities and injuries on the nation’s highways. Last year, there were over 43,000 transportation fatalities on our roads and highways and alcohol-related fatalities were the highest they have been since 1992. Another $85 million will be available to provide additional investigators to respond to and investigate transportation crashes.

The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 required the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue secure biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards for workers to have unescorted access to a secure area of a port. With the TWIC program still in development in 2006, the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006 set deadlines for TWIC’s implementation, requiring DHS to implement TWIC at the 10 highest risk ports by July 1, 2007; the 40 next highest risk U.S. ports by Jan. 1, 2008; and all U.S. ports by Jan. 1, 2009. The act also requires DHS to conduct a pilot program to test card readers at five locations beginning April 2007. DHS and other involved entities are opting for integrity over timeliness. Both the April 2007 and July 1, 2007 deadlines have been missed due to privacy concerns and technological challenges. 

AAMVA's Move magazine received a 2007 APEX Award of Excellence for the fall 2006 cover, "A Vehicle for Change." The 2007 APEX awards received close to 5,000 entries and recognizes excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the ability to achieve overall communications excellence. The award-winning Move cover was a photo submitted by A. Diane Albert of the Kansas Division of Vehicles. To submit your own photos for future covers, see the Move main page. Visit the awards page for information on past Move awards. 

AAMVA staff, along with Karen Chappell from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, participated in a Department of Justice (DOJ)/Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Briefing at FBI Headquarters in the District of Columbia on July 9, 2007. The purpose of the briefing was to provide key stakeholders with an update on the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) and the activities and future plans of the DOJ/FBI with respect to NMVTIS.  The attendees included representatives from consumer groups, consumer activists, dealer associations, law enforcement, auto auctions and auto recyclers. DOJ provided a historical perspective of the Anti Car Theft Act (ACTA) and its requirements as well as the actions and activities to date including AAMVA's role as the operator of the system. DOJ also outlined a 4-year plan for NMVTIS, including the NMVTIS grant solicitation opportunities recently posted and the development of LE/NMVTIS inquiry and other plans to move NMVTIS forward--including the outreach to state DOJ and LE folks to support the need for full nationwide roll out, the establishment of a formal oversight body, etc. FBI provided an update on its plan to write the rules for the reporting by insurers and junk and salvage yards. AAMVA, as the operator, provided a brief overview of system efforts. If you have any questions on this briefing or NMVTIS in general, feel free to contact Marney Michalowski or Vivienne Cameron.

The next AAMVA CIO Outreach conference call is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, 2007, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. These meetings address IT issues that are relevant to the chief information officers (CIOs) of motor vehicle agencies in both the United States and Canada, and concerns that are relevant to their day-to-day jobs. Draft agendas and minutes from previous meetings can be found at  http://www.aamva.org/MembershipLeadership/Committees/CIOConfCalls.htm.  The conference call telephone number and conference ID can be found at the top of the agenda.  Send requests for future agenda topics to Greg Sensiba or call (703) 908-2822.

Take your professional training and skills to a higher level; sign up today for the FDR Instructor Certification Course with AAMVA University. The course is to be held in Arlington, Virginia on Aug. 13-17, 2007. The registration deadline is July 27 (prerequisite: FDR Level II Course). Additional courses will be added soon. AAMVA University can also provide training at your jurisdiction's facility. Visit www.aamva-u.org for details or to register online, or call (866) 908-8270.

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

• Maryland – Acceptance of Maryland Driver’s Licenses (Ends 07/19/2007)
• Ohio – KIOSK Inquiry (Ends 07/25/2007)
• Manitoba - .027” Aluminum License Plates (Ends 07/25/2007)
• Virginia – IFTA/IRP Information (Ends 07/27/2007)
• Maryland – Testing Noncommercial Vehicles (Ends 08/17/2007)

AAMVA is actively seeking a qualified individual to fill the Director of Driver Fitness position within the Programs Division. This position is responsible for the development, coordination, monitoring and disseminating of information in the following areas: Younger Driver, Older Driver, Driver Fitness, Driver Improvement, Graduated Driver's License, and Financial Responsibility and Insurance. Additional responsibilities include serving as staff liaison to committees, subcommittees and working groups in these areas as well as serving as the staff liaison to the Financial Responsibility and Insurance (FR&I) discipline. A job description and submission guidelines are available on AAMVA's Web site. More details are also available in the job advertisement.