Inside This Issue...

On March 10, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters cautioned Congress that now is not the time to halt efforts to implement trucking provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is delivering economic benefits to U.S. workers, farmers, businesses and consumers. Secretary Peters said a broad coalition of more than 69 U.S. companies and agricultural and business organizations support the project because of the benefits it provides to U.S. exporters who every year ship billions worth of products and produce into Mexico. Should Congress choose to end the project, Mexico has the right under the rules of NAFTA to impose fees and tariffs on U.S. goods that would surely result in lost business and lost jobs, she said. The Secretary said the cross border trucking demonstration project was designed to give American companies their first-ever access to the highly lucrative business of moving goods across the southern border. That access is giving growers and manufacturers a more efficient and profitable way to ship American goods into Mexico, she said. Secretary Peters maintained that safety is still the Department’s number one priority, and that a rigorous safety inspection plan and trained professionals are in place to ensure that every truck in the program meets every U.S. safety standard on the books, as well as additional safeguards. New data showing the negative impact to U.S. businesses is available at http://www.bus.iastate.edu/dhayes/.

As a follow up to the Motorcycle Travel symposium in Washington, DC, Oct. 10-12, the Federal Highway Administration is organizing the Motorcycle Highway Travel Monitoring and Operations Demonstration on May 5 to promote Motorcycle Safety Awareness. A flyer is available online that provides the details on location, objective and event description. For more details, visit the FHWA Web site.

On Feb. 22, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, in a letter to Congressional budget writers, called on the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Budget committee to fund an array of homeland security needs in FY 2009 so that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its state and local partners can adequately protect the nation. Lieberman said the Senate's homeland security budget proposal must contain additional funding for grants to states and localities, to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so that it can respond effectively to a catastrophe, and other needs. The letter is available online on the Congressional Quarterly's Web site. The Committee is concerned about the new grant program combining buffer zones and REAL ID. The Committee recommends that the grants programs stay separate.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said March 5 that the occasion of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-9) should remind operators of vehicles in all modes of transportation about the inherent dangers of fatigue. Fatigue has been on the Board's "Most Wanted List" of safety improvements since the list's inception in 1990. Throughout its 41-year history, the NTSB has seen the issue of fatigue reoccur in many of its accident investigations with fatal results. As a result, NTSB has studied operator fatigue and issued recommendations calling for improved scheduling regulations and practices, education for operators and employers concerning fatigue and sleep disorders, and research to better understand the risks associated with fatigue in transportation. Information of the Board's recommendations dealing with fatigue that are on the "Most Wanted List" is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/index.htm.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is now accepting applications for two competitive grant programs aimed at recruiting the next generation of poll workers and promoting student engagement in elections. The EAC is seeking applications under the Help America Vote College Program (College Program) for programs that will encourage college students to serve as poll workers. The EAC will award a total of $750,000 under the College Program. The Help America Vote Mock Election Program (Mock Election Program) will issue at least $200,000 to support mock election programs for students of secondary education programs. Between both programs, the EAC will award up to 85 grants of at least $10,000 each. View the EAC press release for more details.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) report for 2007. The report is available for download via the DHS Web site at www.dhs.gov/FOIA.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sponsors an online journal called the "Leadership Journal" to provide a forum to talk about its work protecting the American people, building an effective emergency preparedness and response capability, enforcing immigration laws, and promoting economic prosperity. The journal is a blog with contributions by various DHS officials. Check it out at www.dhs.gov/journal/leadership/.

On March 7, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Surface Transportation entitled "Surface Transportation: Restructured Federal Approach Needed for More Focused, Performance-Based, and Sustainable Programs." Since federal financing for the interstate system was established in 1956, the federal role in surface transportation has expanded to include broader goals, more programs, and a variety of program structures. GAO stated that many current programs are not effective at addressing key transportation challenges such as increasing congestion and freight demand. With the sustainability and performance issues of current programs, it is an opportune time for Congress to more clearly define the federal role in transportation and improve progress toward specific, nationally-defined outcomes. Given the scope of needed transformation, it may be necessary to shift policies and programs incrementally or on a pilot basis to gain practical lessons for a coherent, sustainable, and effective national program and financing structure to best serve the nation for the 21st century. View the entire report online at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08400.pdf.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released testimony of Richard M. Stana, director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, House Committee on Appropriations regarding GAO’s work on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts on selected border security operations and programs related to (1) inspecting travelers at U.S. ports of entry, (2) detecting individuals attempting to enter the country illegally between ports of entry, and (3) screening of international travelers before they arrive at U.S. ports and challenges remaining in these areas. GAO’s observations are based on products issued from May 2006 through February 2008. In prior reports, GAO recommended various actions to DHS to, among other things, help address weaknesses in the traveler inspection programs and processes. DHS has generally agreed with the recommendations and has taken various actions to address them. View the testimony online at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08542t.pdf.

March 6 marked the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) 5-year anniversary. In a pen-and-pad briefing, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff commented on SBInet, REAL ID, and more. President Bush commemorated the anniversary in a speech given at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. A fact sheet on the progress and priorities of the department in the past five years has been posted on the DHS Web site.

On March 5, 15 enforcement-oriented immigration bills were introduced in the Senate as leaders prepared for a controversial immigration enforcement bill (HR 4088) by Heath Shuler of North Carolina. HR 4088 (SAVE Act of 2007) is a bill created to provide immigration reform by securing America's borders, clarifying and enforcing existing laws, and enabling a practical employer verification program. Other bills introduced on March 5 included S.2712 designed to expedite the completion of 700 miles of border fencing by 2010; S.2718, to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses; S.2722 to deport immigrants convicted of drunk-driving offenses; and bills like one by David Vitter (Louisiana), to withhold federal funding for local police in cities that have “sanctuary” policies.

AAMVA has pulled together frequently asked questions (FAQs) about REAL ID and placed them in an Excel sheet posted online. These questions are from jurisdictions and the answers have been supplied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This document is available to AAMVA members only. A searchable database will soon be available for these FAQs. Check the REAL ID section of AAMVA's Web site for more information.

AAMVA University announces a new training portal located at http://aamva.webroom.com. This platform gives AAMVA University more flexibility and range in training services. To attend any class, you must do a one-time registration on the site and then self-enroll for each class you wish to attend. Visit http://aamva.webroom.com and check out the new look of AAMVA University! The next round of Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) training will begin on Thursday, March 20. All classes are held on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 2 to 4pm (EDT) via the Web with live instructors and subject matter experts and are free for AAMVA members. There is one new course in this round: 3-Year Calculations for Serious Violations. This is a CDLIS Advanced course that covers information pertaining to Table 2 of 49 CFR §383.51 Disqualifications for serious traffic violations and uses several examples to demonstrate how to properly determine and apply penalties for second and third serious convictions within 3 years. This course is recommended for those involved in the CDL program within their jurisdiction.

The next AAMVA CIO Outreach conference call is scheduled for Monday, March 17, 2008, from 4:00 to 5:00pm (EDT). These meetings address information technology issues that are relevant to the CIOs of motor vehicle agencies (in both the U.S. and Canada) and concerns that are relevant to their day-to-day jobs. Copies of the draft agendas and minutes from previous meetings are available on AAMVA's Web site. 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 via e-mail or at (703) 908-2822.

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• Utah – Surname with Jr., Sr., 3^rd, 4^th, etc (Ends 03/20/08)
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"From time to time I use this forum [blog] to celebrate the hard work of journalists, as well as to 'set the record' straight where reporting has gone awry and ventured into sensationalism. The way I figure it, as PR folks, we spend enough time complaining when a reporter gets the story wrong. We should spend just as much time applauding when they get it right!" Read the entire "Behind the Wheel" blog at http://blog.aamva.org/2008/03/10/a-fair-shake.aspx

The deadline for the Summer 2007 Move cover photo contest has been extended to March 31! So, if you want to see your photo on the cover of Move? Submit the best photo that depicts the theme for each issue of Move, and it will be used on the cover and viewed by thousands of readers! Review the submission guidelines and release form. The theme is "Tools of the Trade." For more information visit http://www.aamva.org/Publications/Move/ or e-mail move@aamva.org. Good luck!