Inside This Issue...

The AAMVA and IRP, Inc. offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Also, The Week in Review will not be published the week of Aug. 27, 2007. It will resume publishing on Friday, Aug. 31. The AAMVA and IRP, Inc. offices will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 8:30 am EDT.

The closing date for the Port Security Supplemental Grant Program is Aug. 29, 2007. The fiscal year 2007 (FY 07) Port Security Grant Program (PSPG) includes supplemental funding specifically focusing on Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) implementation and security training based on feedback from port stakeholders highlighting the need for the security value associated with such activities.

A total of $5,497,860 million is available to support TWIC and/or training projects from Tier IV port areas. Allowable training projects must be in accordance with the 2007 Program Guidelines and Application Kit. A streamlined application will be used to reduce the burden on applicants and the time needed for the application review processes. Priority will be given to those Tier IV applicants who did not receive PSGP funding in the last round of funding. Those applicants are strongly encouraged to apply while grantees who received awards in the last round of funding are discouraged from applying. View the announcement on grants.gov, or at the Department of Homeland Security Web site for more details and supporting documentation.

The Immigration Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2007 (S 1984) which was introduced on Aug. 2 and referred to the Senate Finance Committee, has several references to Real ID compliance and employment verification (identification) requirements. 

Part of the bill sets forth worksite enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting unlawful employment of aliens, disclosure of taxpayer information, social security cards and identity documents, and establishment of a voluntary advanced verification program to allow employers to verify an employee's fingerprints in order to determine identity and work status. Sec. 254 (Increasing Security and Integrity of Identity Documents) outlines how Real ID will play a role in this bill.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2005, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. And the picture for motorcycle operators is particularly bleak.

Forty-one percent of the 1,878 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2005 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.  To help combat these unnecessary fatal crashes by educating motorists and cyclists, the national "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." campaign began Aug. 1, 2007 and extends through the Labor Day Holiday, ending Sept. 3, 2007. 

This effort, organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity. This year’s effort is supported by $11 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that if they are caught driving impaired, they will be arrested. For more information, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

AAMVA is pleased to report that New Hampshire moved its Motor Carrier Safety Improvements Act (MCSIA) code for the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) into production on Aug. 18, 2007.  For the MCSIA Structured Testing schedule, please visit the Structured Testing Schedule on the MCSIA Implementation Updates page. For more information on how to participate in this program, please contact the AAMVA Operations Department at 1-888-226-8280, option #3.

On Aug. 13, 2007, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Ray White as the agency's deputy assistant administrator for the office of security operations. White has been with TSA since 2002 and most recently served as the acting federal security director at Dallas Love Field. He has also served as assistant federal security director and interim federal security representative.

During TSA's rollout, White was in charge of federalizing security operations in Ark., Okla. and much of Texas. Prior to joining TSA, White was a supervisory special agent in civil aviation security at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this position, he was responsible for security across a five-state region. White also worked as a program manager for risk management and physical security at the FAA. While there, he was responsible for security at over 200 facilities. View the press release for more information about White.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) unveiled a new look for its home page at www.gao.gov. The redesigned Web site has a number of features that make it easier to navigate. If you have questions or comments, please send an email to webmaster@gao.gov.

AAMVA is 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.

If you haven’t already done so, please share information with other jurisdictions by responding to these surveys:

• Indiana – Compensation Survey
• Pennsylvania – Impact of Sanctioning Process on Driver Safety
• Maryland – Fraud and Security

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, Va., 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.