Inside This Issue...

The U.S. Marshals Services has requested AAMVA's assistance with educating motor vehicle agencies about requirements to protect judges and their family's personal information. The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 (PL 110-177) signed into law on Jan. 7, boosts penalties for attacking or threatening judges or their families at all levels of the federal judiciary, and also authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants to states, municipalities and American Indian tribes for similar protections. The law also expands the jurisdiction of the U.S. Marshals Service to include tax courts and any other courts. In addition, Section 508 in the law contains provisions amending the REAL ID Act to protect judge’s addresses appearing on the individual’s driver’s license and identification cards. The bill amends section 202(b)(6) of the REAL ID and allows federal judges to substitute the address of the federal courthouse for their address of principle residence and in the case of a Justice of the United States, the address of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Marshals Services is asking for states' cooperation to implement this requirement to protect members of the Judicial Conference addresses for public security reasons. The agency is planning on sending letters to each motor vehicle agency. If you have any questions, contact U.S. Marshal Service Headquarters, Judicial Security Division, Office of Protective Intelligence Threat Management Center (TMC) at 202-307-6100.

On April 10, 2008 the House passed a resolution (H.Res. 1038) recognizing the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and honoring DHS employees for their efforts and contributions to protect and secure our nation.

AAMVA has completed its research on the issue of Suspended and Revoked Drivers. The research data analysis showed that the pattern of violation and crash involvement among drivers suspended for driving versus non-driving reasons vary in significant ways: 

• Drivers suspended for driving reasons are two times more likely to commit a moving violation;
• Drivers suspended for driving reasons are 1.25 times more likely to be convicted of driving while suspended; and
• Drivers suspended for driving reasons are four times more likely to be involved in a crash (while suspended) than those suspended for non-driving reasons. 

The research, paid for by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was done by Jon A. Carnegie, Ph D., Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Robert J. Eger, III, Ph.D., RME Enterprises, Tallahassee, Florida. AAMVA cannot release the entire study until it has been reviewed and printed by NHTSA. However an executive summary is available on AAMVA's Web site.

On April 9, a bill (HR 5752) was introduced in the House to provide for the security of U.S. passports, and for other purposes. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. View the full text of the legislation for more details.

On April 14, the Senate will begin debate on HR 1195, a bill to amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Along with technical amendments to the bill, HR 1195 would increase the minimum state share of total highway safety formula grants from 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent. It also would reduce the minimum penalties that states would have to impose on repeat drunk drivers in order to avoid a loss of federal highway funding. Current law requires at least a one-year driver’s license suspension. The bill would allow a state to impose a 45-day suspension of all driving privileges, followed by a period during which the offender could drive only to work, school or alcohol treatment programs. The 2005 highway law (PL 109-59) authorized $286.5 billion for highway and transit programs through fiscal 2009. View the entire text of the bill online.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has two grants available:

• DOT/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Investigation/Prosecution of Odometer Fraud Modification 2 (Close date May 5, 2008)
• Fuel Tax Evasion Intergovernmental Enforcement Efforts Grant (Close date June 6, 2008)
  

A new Congressional Research Service report includes an analysis of several of the major elements of the law’s regulations and looks at its relationship to other federal laws and ID programs. View the report online.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), in the April 9 Federal Register, that revises commercial driver's license (CDL) knowledge and skills testing standards and requires new federal minimum standards for states to issue commercial learner's permits (CLP). The NPRM addresses many of the shortcomings of current CDL testing standards and minimum age requirements. Some of the requirements include:

• Successful completion of knowledge and skills testing prior to issuance of a CLP
• All CDL applicants to have CLP for 30 days before applying for a CDL
• All CLP applicants be at least 18 years old before applying for a CLP
• Increased documentation requirements for CDL and CLP applicants to demonstrate legal presence
• Increased fraud prevention measures to be implemented by the state driver's licensing agencies

Comments must be submitted by June 9, 2008.  View the Federal Register notice for more details. AAMVA will be sending a matrix to states to assist in evaluating the rule.

On April 11, 2008, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chertoff discussed the Department’s $50.5 billion FY 2009 budget request before the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations. He outlined the Department’s progress in achieving effective control of the border, screening passengers, protecting critical infrastructure, responding to emergencies, and enforcing immigration laws. The Secretary emphasized continued funding for these efforts, as well as on border fencing, biometrics, increased hiring, technology modernization, cargo screening, and cyber security. Read the testimony on the DHS Web site.

The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Board of Directors will meet on May 8, 2008 from 11am to 2pm (EDT). The meeting will take place telephonically. Any interested person may call Avelino Gutierrez at (505) 827-4565 to receive the toll-free number and pass codes needed to participate in these meetings by telephone.

On April 11, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the Global Entry™ pilot program, scheduled to launch this summer. Global Entry allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States. Global Entry will be available for U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are frequent international travelers, provided they have not been found guilty of a criminal offense, charged with a customs or immigration offense, or declared inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration legislation. [The program described as International Registered Traveler in the Federal Register has officially been renamed Global Entry.] Read more on the CBP Web site.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is pleased to announce a draft publication SP 800-116, A Recommendation for the Use of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credentials in Physical Access Control Systems. This draft provides best practice guidelines for integrating the PIV Card with the physical access control systems (PACS) that authenticate the cardholders in federal facilities. This draft includes recommendations for increasing the use of asymmetric key architecture and credential validation. Federal agencies and private organizations as well as individuals are invited to review the draft document and submit comments using the comment template form provided on the Web site. Comments should be submitted to PIV_comments@nist.gov with "Comments on Public Draft SP 800-116" in the subject line. The comment period closes at 5:00 EDT (US and Canada) on May 12, 2008.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold a public Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Physical Access Control Systems (PACS) Integration workshop on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland from 9:30am to 3:30pm. The purpose of the workshop is the exchange of information among the PACS implementers, federal agencies, and NIST. NIST will provide a briefing on SP 800-116, A Recommendation for the Use of PIV Credentials in Physical Access Control Systems (PACS), followed by a question and answer session. NIST will facilitate 10 minute individual presentations through which interested individuals may present observations to the group. All material presented will be made public. Individuals desiring to present their observations must contact Ketan Mehta (mehta_ketan@nist.gov) via e-mail and provide an abstract and a power point slides in advance. Workshop registration is required to gain entry to the NIST facilities. Visit http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/confpage/conflist.htm to register. The cost of registration is $50. Registration closes on April 28, 2008.

Anna J. Amos has been selected as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Director of the Office of Safety Programs. Amos began her law enforcement career in 1983 with the South Carolina Public Service Commission, where she was the first female hired as an Inspector with the Commission. In 1993, she was transferred to the Motor Carrier Safety program of the Department of Public Safety and was responsible for enforcement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Amos has been directly involved in the International Registration Plan’s Board of Directors, and is a former member of FMCSA's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 project team. Amos is currently the Deputy Director and Colonel of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s State Transport Police Division. Jack Van Steenburg has been selected as the Director of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance.  Van Steenburg has 24 years of law enforcement experience in patrol, investigations, highway safety, and emergency management with the New York State Patrol. He brings to FMCSA his extensive management and leadership background in highway safety administration, operations and decision making. Van Steenburg has been actively involved with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is removing part 801 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, Voting Rights Program, which prescribes the times, places, manner and procedures for the listing and removal of the names of persons on voter eligibility lists in accordance with sections 6, 7, and 9 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Enactment of Public Law 109-246, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 repealed sections 6, 7, and 9 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which included the statutory authority for OPM’s promulgation of these regulations [PL 109-246, Section 3. Changes relating to use of examiners and observers. “(c) Repeal of Sections Relating to Examiners.—Sections 6, 7, and 9 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973d, 1973e and 1973g) are repealed.”]. Therefore, OPM is no longer authorized to maintain these regulations. The effective date of this rule is April 7, 2008. Submit comments on or before June 6, 2008. View the Federal Register notice for more details.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) will present its Annual Awards on Sept. 8, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Nominations are due May 30, 2008. Applications can be downloaded at www.ghsa.org, or by calling (202) 789-0942. GHSA seeks nominations for:

• James J. Howard Trailblazer Award honoring an individual for sustained, outstanding leadership in endeavors that significantly improve highway safety.
• Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Awards honoring notable achievements in the field of highway safety by individuals, organizations, coalitions, government agencies, etc.
• Kathryn J.R. Swanson Award honoring an individual who has made notable improvements in the management or implementation of a highway safety program or policy, or provided outstanding service to GHSA.

Quest Software, Inc., has released the results of its Identity Management Government Survey of federal, state, local and municipal government information technology (IT) professionals’ perceptions on the progress of compliance with mandates such as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive for a policy for a common identification standard for federal employees and contractors (HSPD-12), Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors (FIPS 201), and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). The survey was conducted by Pursuant, a public opinion research firm. One of the findings shows that while most government IT professionals (69 percent) believe that identity management is “very important” to their organization or agency, even more (72 percent) believe it will increase in importance over the next five years.

AAMVA University is offering free training for the AAMVA membership via http://aamva.webroom.com. There are two new course offerings: 3-Year Calculations for Serious Violations and NMVTIS 101. 3-Year Calculations for Serious Violations 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. NMVTIS 101 provides participants with an overview of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The course describes issues of vehicle titling without NMVTIS; NMVTIS benefits to MVAs, law enforcement and consumers; why NMVTIS is mandatory; how NMVTIS works; NMVTIS data along with who provides and receives it; the recommended development approach; and how AAMVA can support your state's development and post-implementation efforts. Visit http://aamva.webroom.com and enroll today!