DHS Announces Reforms for Improving Border Security and Immigration 
On Aug. 10, 2007, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez announced a series of reforms the Administration will pursue to address border security and immigration challenges. The reforms represent steps the Administration can take within the boundaries of existing law to secure our borders more effectively, improve interior and worksite enforcement, streamline existing guest worker programs, improve the current immigration system, and help new immigrants assimilate into American culture. Reform #17 is of interest to the AAMVA membership: “17. The Administration will seek voluntary state partners willing to share their Department of Motor Vehicles photos and records with E-Verify. Agreements to allow E-Verify access to the repository of photographs in state DMV databases will help prevent illegal immigrants from using fraudulent driver’s licenses to obtain employment. Such agreements will also lay the groundwork for further expansion of the electronic employment eligibility verification system.” A
complete list of the suggested reforms is available online.
NHTSA Releases 2006 Booster Seat Usage Report
On Aug. 10, 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a “Traffic Safety Facts: Research Note” on the first-ever probability-based survey of booster seat use in the U.S. based on the observation of children in vehicles. NHTSA found that 41 percent of 4- to 7-year-old children were restrained in booster seats in 2006. This result is from the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS). The NSUBS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of NHTSA. Preliminary data from the report indicates that booster seat laws do increase child safety seat use. For more information, visit the
NHTSA Web site.
Work Zone Safety and Mobility Final Rule Becomes Effective In October
The
final rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility was published in the
Federal Register on Sept. 9, 2004 with an effective date of Oct. 12, 2007. The purpose of the update is to address the changing times of more traffic, more congestion, greater safety issues and more work zones. The changes to the regulation facilitate comprehensive consideration of the broader safety and mobility impacts of work zones across project development, and the implementation of appropriate strategies that help manage these impacts during project delivery. The new provisions in this work zone rule should help State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) meet current and future work zone safety and mobility challenges, and serve the needs of the American people.
EAC Schedules Public Meeting, Approves Report to Congress
The Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) next public meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007 in Washington, DC. Commissioners will discuss the National Voter Registration Act. At the
July 19 meeting, commissioners approved a report to Congress on HAVA Spending by States. The
report and press release are available online.
DOJ Announces Funding to Enforce Underage Drinking Laws
On Aug. 2, the Department of Justice's
Office of Justice Programs announced block awards of more than $17 million to 50 states and the District of Columbia to enforce state and local underage drinking laws. The awards are made through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program, which supports activities in law enforcement, public education programs, and innovative methods for reaching youth. More information can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/.
GAO Says Increased Visa Demand Should Be Addressed
The State Department should develop a long-term strategy to address worldwide increases in visa demand, according to a
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Aug. 3. The report coincided with the signing of legislation that would expand the Visa Waiver Program, which should reduce visa demand. The
full GAO report is available online.
Summary Revised for RAND Report Findings on Licensing Policies and Older Drivers
In the Aug. 6 issue,
The Week in Review reported that the RAND Corporation had released a report that explores risks posed by drivers 65 years of age and older. TRB has provided a new summary that reflects the report’s significance to driver licensing administrators. The new summary states “The RAND Corporation has released a report that explores the findings and policy implications of a study estimating the relative risks of older drivers, concluding that stricter licensing policies targeting that group would likely not improve traffic safety substantially.” The
report is available on the TRB Web site.
New York NMVTIS Load Successful
On July 29 and August 5, AAMVA successfully loaded New York's Title and Brand data to the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS) database. The additional New York data now brings the total amount of Current Title data to 256,286,805 records. Along with Current Title data, 111,723,994 Title History records are now stored. With the addition of NY Brand data, 33,070,672 Brand History records are also stored into the NMVTIS database.
Wisconsin DMV Regional Manager Dave Coady Passes
Dave Coady worked for WisDOT for over 30 years and in a number of different areas within DMV as well as other Divisions. Coady joined the Bureau of Field Services in 1996 as a Supervisor in the North Central Region and was a Regional Manager in the Bureau of Field Services for the past 6 years. Coady had a great kindness for others, much pride in his Irish background and significant integrity in everything he did. He was an exceptional manager and a great asset to the DMV management team. He will be greatly missed by his DMV family.
Electronic Verification of Birth Certificates Project Marks 3-Year Milestone
AAMVA’s Electronic Verification of Vital Events Records (EVVER) pilot project recently marked its three-year milestone. AAMVA, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS), is implementing a nationwide driver’s license fraud detection and prevention program that will verify the validity of birth certificates presented as proof of identity by driver’s license applicants. Currently, motor vehicle agencies from Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota use EVVER to do real-time verification of birth certificates issued by Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. To date, they have performed over 110,000 birth verification inquiries and have achieved positive verifications as high as 97 percent. For more information, contact AAMVA’s Walter Jackson at (703) 908-2828 or
wjackson@aamva.org.
Web-based CDL Skills Test Anti-Fraud Project Marks 1-Year Milestone
AAMVA’s Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS) pilot project recently marked its one-year milestone. AAMVA, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is implementing a Web-based nationwide CDL skills test management, fraud detection and prevention program that will track CDL skills testing activity and actively alert jurisdiction CDL program oversight personnel of testing irregularities. Currently, CDL oversight personnel and both jurisdiction and third-party testing agencies in Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota use CSTIMS to do real-time CDL skills test scheduling, monitoring, and oversight reporting. To date, they have used CSTIMS to schedule and monitor over 18,000 CDL skills tests for 5,000 applicants. For more information on CSTIMS, contact AAMVA’s Walter Jackson at (703) 908-2828 or
wjackson@aamva.org.
AAMVA MCSIA Jurisdiction Training Schedule Announced
AAMVA is pleased to announce its schedule for the fall MCSIA jurisdiction training. The following classes are scheduled:
MCSIA Impacts- Oct. 9
Documentation Usage- Oct. 11
CDLIS A- Oct. 16
CDLIS B- Oct. 18
CDLIS C- Oct. 23
10-Year History Check & DLN Survey- Oct. 25
ACD Codes- Oct. 30
PDPS A- Nov. 1
PDPS B- Nov. 6
UNI Basics- Nov. 8
UNI Advanced A- Nov. 13
UNI Advanced B- Nov. 15
All classes run from 2:00 to 4:00 PM (ET) and are presented via WebEx. There is no charge for these classes; however, there are a limited number of WebEx connections available for each class. To register, send an e-mail to trainer@aamva.org, and identify your jurisdiction's Training Coordinator. Additionally, you can contact Richard Ross (rross@aamva.org) or Tim Rowe (trowe@aamva.org) for more information.
AAMVA Board Meets This Week
The AAMVA Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17-18, 2007 at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The meeting on Friday, Aug. 17 will be an Executive Session for board members only. The meeting on Saturday, Aug. 18 is an open meeting and all guests are invited to attend.
NHTSA Funding for Image Exchange Due to Expire
NHTSA funding currently available to support the nationwide deployment of the Digital Image Access & Exchange (DIA&E) Program is due to expire at the end of November 2008. The goal of AAMVA’s DIA&E team is to qualify and distribute funding to as many jurisdictions as possible before that expiration date. Please take advantage of this financial assistance to implement the image exchange program in your jurisdiction and be part of the nationwide initiative. As much as $40,000 is available to each U.S. jurisdiction upon successful implementation of the program. To qualify, your work must be completed by November 2008. For any questions, comments and/or concerns regarding funding requirements, implementation details, and program benefits, contact Nancy Carlson (703) 908-2818 or Paul Blanchard (703) 908-5780. The DIA&E team is excited to bring this functionality to the table and is looking forward to working with all the jurisdictions to maximize the program benefits.
Visit the AAMVA Blog for Conference Session Updates
The 74th AAMVA Annual International Conference is just days away, and if you haven't made your reservations yet, well, chances are you're not planning to attend. Irreverent enough for you? If irreverent is your style, be sure to visit AAMVA's official blog, "Behind the Wheel," (http://blog.aamva.org) for all the latest AIC happenings. AAMVA's official blogger, Jason D. King, will take a slight break in the action and hand over the reins to Sheila Prior, vice president, AAMVA Region IV.
Share Information with Other Jurisdictions
If you haven’t already done so, please respond to the following surveys.
- Oklahoma – Database Information Release Fees (Ends 08/17/2007)
- Maryland – Fraud and Security (Ends 08/21/2007)
Don’t Miss Your Fraud Training Opportunity
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 tentatively scheduled to be held in Arlington, Virginia, from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26, 2007. Dates will be confirmed upon receipt of a minimum of 10 registrations; the deadline for which is Oct. 5. The prerequisite for enrollment is successful completion of the FDR Level II Course, which comprises Levels I&II. AAMVA University can also provide training at your jurisdiction's facility. Visit
www.aamva-u.org for details on how to register, or contact
aamvauniversity@aamva.org.
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