Inside This Issue...

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on July 22 that the new U.S. Passport Card is in full production and is now being distributed. The Passport Card is a convenient, wallet-sized document for land and sea travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is not valid for international travel by air. Beginning in June 2009, travelers will be required to present a single Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant document denoting both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border. More than 350,000 Americans pre-ordered the U.S. Passport Cards since the State Department began taking orders on Feb. 1. Over 7,600 cards have already been mailed to advance customers, and all pre-orders are expected to be filled by Sept. 30, 2008. For information on how to apply for a U.S. Passport Card or the traditional passport book, visit travel.state.gov.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Mary Peters will join AAMVA as the keynote speaker for the 75th Annual International Conference in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 24-27. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from Secretary Peters. Register today! Want to know more about the DOT's new plan to refocus, reform, and renew transportation policy in America. Visit the Secretary's blog, Fast Lane, to read her post, and click here to learn more about the plan.

On Aug. 7, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters posted a new blog on her plan to reform the transportation policy in America. View the updated blog on the Fast Lane.

Harvard University invites you to apply for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Award, given annually to programs that serve as the best examples of creative and effective government. All levels of government are eligible to apply. Applications are due Sept. 30, 2008. Visit http://www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu/ for more details.

In his third book in three years and in a radical departure from his previous books, Joseph M. Giglio uses the techniques of popular fiction to dramatize how America’s transportation system can be transformed into a vigorous engine for economic growth—and to make clear that our ability to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy depend on this transformation. The book recounts the conversations of two brilliant but self-confessed rogues: a disgraced journalist from Bedford-Stuyvesant trying to rehabilitate his career, and a Wall Street star and Talmudic scholar in prison for Securities Fraud. Funny, irreverent, and clear-eyed, the book  gives today’s savvy readers a refreshing dose of real-world insights into creating a "New Covenant" on transportation—between the federal government, state and local governments, and private enterprise—that will not simply repair a broken transportation system, but will turn it  into a crucial generator of economic growth. Of Giglio’s work Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says, "Joe Giglio knows how to close big deals and solve big problems. America can’t solve its infrastructure crisis without listening to people like him." Copies of the book are available for purchase at www.Amazon.com and at www.hudson.org/bookstore.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS), saying progress has been made in implementing the program, but an evaluation plan is needed. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the states have implemented key aspects of the SRTS program. FHWA established a clearinghouse to provide technical assistance for SRTS programs and a national task force to study and develop a strategy for advancing SRTS programs nationwide. It also provided an interim report to Congress on its progress and developed program guidance that provides states with flexibility in implementing their SRTS programs. Although state-level implementation varies, states have made progress in implementing the program. FHWA, in collaboration with the clearinghouse and the national task force, has taken significant steps to develop a framework for evaluating SRTS program outcomes, including developing standardized data collection forms. View the entire report online at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08789.pdf

To help streamline the security process and better protect laptops, starting August 16 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow passengers to leave their laptop computers in bags that meet new "checkpoint friendly" standards. This public-private collaboration took just five months to go from concept to reality. TSA reached out to manufacturers in March to design bags that will produce a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when undergoing X-ray screening. Designs meeting this objective will enable TSA to allow laptops to remain in bags for screening. More than 60 manufacturers responded and 40 submitted prototypes for testing. TSA expects the majority of new bags meeting checkpoint friendly standards to be available for purchase in mid-August. There are a small percentage of bags currently on the market that meet the new standards, include sleeve-like carrying cases without pockets or zippers. For images of checkpoint friendly designs and guidance on use, please visit www.tsa.gov.

HR 6775 was introduced in House on Aug. 1, 2008 to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transportation to develop procedures for permitting car rental companies to have limited access to information in the National Driver Register (NDR), and for other purposes. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

AAMVA President and CEO Neil Schuster will be speaking at the 11th Annual Transportation Summit in Irving, Texas in August. The summit, which takes place Aug. 12-15, 2008, is the largest and most comprehensive public policy transportation conference in the nation. Federal, state, regional and local elected officials, and industry professionals from across the country, will unite in Irving, Texas, to discuss every mode of transportation and issues affecting highways, transit, high-speed rail, seaports, aviation, security, safety and financing. For more information, visit www.2008transportationsummit.com

Presentations from the Region II and Region IV conferences, as well as the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Law Institute are now available online. Presentations from AAMVA events are posted in the Materials from Past Events section of AAMVA's Web site.

AAMVA University has posted its training schedule for the rest of 2008 on our training portal at http://aamva.webroom.com. Starting on Sept. 9, all of our course offerings will be available before the end of the year including our basic/advanced Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) courses, Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS), Fraudulent Early Warning System (FEWS), Unified Network Interface (UNI), and National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS). Here is your chance to get new staff up to speed on all these applications with our basic courses and for those who need advanced training we have number of new courses such as "Error Detection and Resolution" and "Improving Data Quality." All of our courses are presented via the Web with live instructors and subject matter experts on Tuesdays/Thursdays, 2-4pm EST. They are free for all jurisdiction members (including law enforcement, helpdesk and IT, and court personnel). Please visit our training portal, register on the site, and self-enroll into any course. If you have questions or need assistance please contact trainer@aamva.org.