Inside This Issue...

The 2008 National Stop on Red Week takes place Aug. 3-9, 2008. The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running is dedicated to reducing the incidence of red light running in the United States and the fatalities and injuries it causes. The Campaign has pulled together a team of leaders from the fields of law enforcement, transportation engineering, healthcare and emergency medicine, and traffic safety, to tackle this crucial safety issue. The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running aims to better inform the public and their elected officials about the seriousness of this all-too-common danger, as well as the law enforcement practices and tools that can make our roadways safer. The Campaign promotes public education about the core safety issues and provides support for broad, coordinated law enforcement, including red light camera technology. The Campaign is an independent advocacy initiative focused on both the national and grass roots levels and is guided by a National Advisory Board. Visit http://www.stopredlightrunning.com/ for more information.

New federal data showing further steep declines in the number of miles Americans are driving is additional proof that the country needs new means--other than the gas tax--to finance the nation's transportation infrastructure, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said July 28. Secretary Peters said that Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in May 2008 than in May 2007, according to the Federal Highway Administration data. This is the largest drop in VMT for any May, which typically reflects increased traffic due to Memorial Day vacations and the beginning of summer, and is the third-largest monthly drop in the 66 years such data have been recorded. Three of the largest single-month declines--each topping 9 billion miles--have occurred since December. VMT on all public roads for May 2008 fell 3.7 percent as compared with May 2007 travel, the Secretary added, marking a decline of 29.8 billion miles traveled in the first five months of 2008 than the same period a year earlier. This continues a seven-month trend that amounts to 40.5 billion fewer miles traveled between November 2007 and May 2008 than the same period a year before, she said. As Americans drive less and rely increasingly on mass transit, carpooling or other options, the federal Highway Trust Fund receives less revenue from gasoline and diesel sales--18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon, respectively. View the Federal Highway Administration's "Traffic Volume Trends" reports for May 2008 online at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tvtw/tvtpage.htm. 

A clean and historic break with the past is needed to encourage the future vitality of our country’s transportation network, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, who unveiled the Bush Administration’s new plan on July 29 to refocus, reform and renew the national approach to highway and transit systems in America. The Secretary said the plan sets a course for reforming the nation’s transportation programs by outlining a renewed federal focus on maintaining and improving the Interstate highway system, instead of diverting funds for wasteful pet projects and for programs clearly not federal priority areas like restoring lighthouses. The reform plan also calls for greatly reducing over 102 federal transportation programs, which have proliferated over the last two decades replacing them with eight comprehensive, intermodal programs that will help focus instead of dilute investments, and cut the dizzying red-tape forced upon local planners, she said. Secretary Peters said a hallmark of the plan is a refocused and redoubled emphasis on safety, using a data and technology-driven approach that also gives states maximum flexibility to tackle their toughest safety challenges. The Secretary said the plan lays out the Administrations’ framework for completely overhauling the way U.S. transportation decisions and investments are made, and is intended to spur local, state and federal debate about how best to incorporate the new reforms into surface transportation legislation slated to be considered by Congress in 2009. She will personally brief Members of Congress on the contents of the plan this week. A copy of the reform plan is available at www.fightgridlocknow.gov. A copy of the remarks can be found at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/peters072908.htm.

The cross-border trucking demonstration project will be extended for two years as permitted under U.S. law, announced John H. Hill, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator (FMCSA). Last year, Congress mandated that the demonstration project be operated as a pilot program, which is governed by statute, and can run for up to three years. The extension of the demonstration project is discussed in a Federal Register notice issued Aug. 4. The notice is available online at http://federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-17946_PI.pdf. View Hill's statement at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fmcsa0308.htm.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) will hold a public meeting on Aug. 5 that will focus on a workshop about preparing for Election Day 2008 and statewide voter registration databases. Other topics include: Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funding; research department work plan briefing; draft Policy for Notice and Public Comment; draft EAC Guidance to States Regarding Updates to the State Plans; draft Policy for Joint Partnership Task Force of EAC and State Election Officials Regarding Spending of HAVA Funds. NOTE: The Statewide Voter Registration Databases Workshop will take place during the second half of the agenda. For more information and the agenda, click here.

New Jersey is compiling a report on abandoned vehicles and they need to gather information from other jurisdictions. If you haven’t already done so, please respond to this survey. They currently have responses from Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington, but would like very much to hear from additional jurisdictions. New Jersey appreciates your input!

The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008 (HR 6060) was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on July 28, 2008. The bill aims to amend title 18, U.S. Code, to enable increased federal prosecution of identity theft crimes and to allow for restitution to victims of identity theft. View the text of the legislation for more details.

The House and Senate are in summer recess. The House will convene at 2:00pm on Sept. 8. The Senate will convene in pro forma session at: 10am, Aug. 5; 11:00am, Aug. 8; 2:00pm, Aug. 12; 10:00am, Aug. 15; 9:00am, Aug. 19; 10:00am, Aug. 22; 2:00pm, Aug. 26; 2:00pm, Aug. 29; 12:00pm, Sept. 2; and 9:30am, Sept. 5. The House will convene for legislative business at 3:00pm on Sept. 8. Visit the House and Senate Web sites for complete calendars.

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is soliciting proposals from qualified proposers to replace the primary technology applications supporting Connecticut DMV with a Modifiable Off-the-Shelf ("MOTS") integrated vehicle and licensing system. The close date for all proposals is Oct. 1, 2008 at 2:00pm (ET). Download the RFP at http://www.das.state.ct.us/rfpdoc/Shirley/bids/rfp08itz0069.pdf
For more information, contact Jacqueline Shirley, Director of IT Contracts and Purchasing Division, Department of Information and Technology, 101 East River Driver, East Hartford, CT 06108, Jacqueline.Shirley@po.state.ct.us.

Because of the significant danger of commercial drivers circumventing the return-to-duty requirements and driving shortly after a failed drug test, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to identify cases of job-hopping commercial drivers based on data from a third-party administrator. Specifically, GAO was asked to determine (1) the current employment status for selected employees who passed the drug test after recently failing the test; (2) whether the failed test was known to the current employer prior to, or after, hiring the individual; and (3) whether the prior positive test result was disclosed on the application for current employment. GAO analyzed the drug test results that covered 698 drivers who, within the last 5 years, tested positive for one employer and negative for another employer. GAO narrowed the focus and identified 43 cases from the past 2 years where commercial drivers had tested positive for drugs with one employer then, within 1 month, tested negative with another employer. Employers for 37 of the 43 identified drivers responded to our inquiry. For all 37 of these cases, the employers stated that the commercial driver did not disclose prior positive test results. For 19 of the 37 cases, the driver was subsequently hired. The other 18 drivers were not hired for several reasons, including instances where the previous employer disclosed the positive drug test when asked by the prospective employer. View the letter and report online at http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-829R

AAMVA would like to remind all users of the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) application that the second Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) milestone related to data validation and data quality clean-up is on the horizon. As detailed in the CDLIS 4.1.0 Specification, September 2007, additional data checks for current and "Major" convictions and withdrawals will go into effect in the first quarter of 2009. In an effort to assist jurisdictions in meeting this requirement, the following two decisions have been made by FMCSA and the CDLIS Modernization Working Group: (1) The date for enforcing these data checks has been moved from Jan. 1, 2009 back to March 15, 2009. (2) The data checks will not be enforced on convictions or withdrawals resulting from offenses that occurred prior to April 1, 1992 (the date when all 51 jurisdictions were participating in CDLIS). AAMVA will be scheduling several webinars in early September to communicate the necessary details of this milestone to all jurisdictions, including discussion of key issues facing jurisdictions and guidance on the resolution of same. If you have immediate questions, contact the AAMVA Operations Help Desk (800-AAMVA80; e-mail helpdesk@aamva.org).

Want to learn more about Unified Network Interface (UNI)? AAMVA University will be offering a series of classes to increase your working knowledge of UNI – UNI Basics, UNI Advanced A, UNI Advanced B starting on Thursday, Aug. 5 from 2 to 4pm (EDT). These courses are technical in nature and geared toward those who need in-depth technical knowledge of the UNI application. All courses are free for jurisdictions and are delivered by live instructors and subject matter experts via the web. Visit the training site at http://aamva.webroom.com, register on the site and self-enroll into any of the available courses. For questions or problems, e-mail trainer@aamva.org.

If you haven’t already done so, please respond to the following surveys:

• Maryland – Motor Scooters and Mopeds (Ends 08/12/2008)
• South Carolina – Trikes/Motorcycles with Side Cars (Ends 08/08/08)
• New Jersey – Minimum and Maximum Liability Insurance Limits (Ends 08/04/08)
• Oklahoma – Medical Exemption on Tinted Windows (Ends 08/07/08)

• FMCSA Administrator John Hill Delivers Keynote -- John Hill, administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will deliver a keynote address on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 9:00am.
• Making the REAL ID Verification Hub Work for You -- The AIC General Session-Real ID on Sunday, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, is an opportunity to hear the latest on REAL ID from a variety of stakeholders, including the Department of Homeland Security, the National Governors Association, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. AAMVA's REAL ID Steering Committee chair and vice chair, Bonnie Rutledge and Judy Brown, also will participate. Bernard Soriano, chair of AAMVA's verification working group will speak about various options to create the verification hub.
• Looking for Your Input! -- Is the impending REAL ID customer service crunch a topic of discussion between you, the Governor and your staff? Have you delayed or scaled back your IT redesign program because you are afraid of getting what you asked for and not what you need? The latest and greatest "system" isn't always the silver bullet for solving your service woes. Sometimes you need to look inside at your own practices and procedures. In the session "Overcoming Customer Crunch and the Fear of Failure – Getting What You Need,", Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, discuss your challenges with experts who have tackled service delivery challenges from the inside out! To make the most out of this session we invite you to submit your challenges and questions to our industry panel in advance to Dianne Graham.