International Board of Directors Meeting Summary

June 7-8, 2023
Arlington, Virginia

AAMVA’s Board of Directors convened in person June 7-8 in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss and act on matters of strategic importance to AAMVA, its members, and stakeholders. The Board also met with several of its federal partners to explore upcoming federal rules, program administration, and agency priorities. The Board’s work is summarized below.  

These are not formal meeting minutes. For information on approved minutes from past meetings please contact us (and select Member Services from the drop-down menu of subjects). 

Financial Matters

Despite continuing fluctuations in the economy, AAMVA retains a strong financial position. The Association’s revenue and spending are in line with the forecast approved in April: AAMVA expects to achieve $54 million in revenue, augmented by $4 million of Board designated reserves for system improvements and $2 million of undesignated reserves for member programs, to support AAMVA’s FY2023 forecasted operating spend plan of $60 million. The Association’s most recent audit (clean) and tax forms can be found on AAMVA’s website under financial information. 

The NMVTIS cost-recovery funding model approved and announced to members last year takes effect October 1. With that change, and the funding it will provide for future NMVTIS enhancements, the Board approved the return of an estimated $2 million to unrestricted/undesignated reserves for future member-focused designation.   

Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) User Fees

The Board received a verbal response to its letter of January 2023 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration following up on the agency’s request in 2021 for AAMVA to stop collecting CDLIS fees once the Agency identified a path forward that would retain the CDLIS fee and redirect it to the USDOT.  

In speaking to the matter, FMCSA’s Deputy Administrator assured the Board of the federal Agency’s commitment to a continued revenue stream to operate CDLIS and to follow through on AAMVA’s expectations that the Agency first:

  • Update the contractual agreement by which AAMVA is directed in operating CDLIS; and 
  • Provide federal funds equivalent to the CDLIS users fees that will be redirected to USDOT.

The Agency reports it considers this matter a priority and plans to complete the new operating contract in time for the Board to consider before the start of the new federal fiscal year, October 1, 2023. In the meantime, AAMVA’s staff continues to inform congressional committees on a technical correction to CDLIS law to retain the current process established by USDOT 30 years ago in which states pay CDLIS user fees for the purpose of funding operations, maintenance, and modernization of the system by AAMVA.

Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA)

The Board was joined by representatives of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) to provide an update on CCMTA’s governance framework, strategic priorities, and current work on the National Safety Code as well as the Interprovincial Record Exchange.    

CCMTA and AAMVA briefed the Board on the joint initiative to refresh agreements between the two associations and with their jurisdiction members regarding use of the technology bridge that connects IRE and AAMVAnet strictly for the exchange of driver status between U.S. and Canada driver license agencies.

Strategic Priorities

In reference to targeted outcomes within the Association’s strategic framework, the Board considered progress on several key initiatives.

mDL Standards and Digital Trust Service

The mDL Digital Trust Service Minimally Viable Product went into production in early May and AAMVA staff is working with jurisdictions on their applications to get public keys into the service. Once keys are present, the Verified Issuer Certificate Authority List or VICAL can be retrieved by relying parties from AAMVA’s website. In addition, staff continues their focus on mDL Standards and the ISO WG10 group, which is developing 18013-7 for mDL use over the internet. 

Identity Management Program

The Board approved a recommendation by the Identity Management Steering Committee to increase staff in AAMVA identity management work. This action will allow AAMVA to better support driver license agencies as the primary trusted identity source for physical and digital credentials. The Board approved temporary funding from AAMVA’s investment portfolio for this effort in anticipation of a long-term cost recovery plan by FY 2026.

S2S and Driver’s License Compact (DLC) Governance

The S2S Governance Committee presented and the Board approved amendments to the S2S GC’s Charter that will integrate governance of the Driver License Compact with S2S. Titled "State to State/Driver License Compact Governance Committee Charter," the new charter would take effect January 1, 2024, conditioned on a favorable vote of the integration action by DLC members when they meet in Madison, Wisconsin in September.

Standing Committee Recommendations

The board advisors of AAMVA’s Vehicle, Law Enforcement and Driver Standing Committees briefed the Board on their progress since the January 2023 meeting and presented one policy item that the Board approved. 

Prohibiting the Illegal Manufacturing or Use of MVA Products Policy

This proposed policy addresses the manufacture and use of replica MVA products for official purposes, and the use of officially issued MVA products in an unlawful manner. It was sent to all AAMVA members in April to garner discussion and feedback prior to Board approval. Jurisdiction members will be asked to approve the policy during AAMVA’s Annual Membership Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin.

Federal Partners and National Initiatives

The Board heard from several federal agency partners and stakeholder associations:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) addressed upcoming regulatory requirements. 

  • Exclusive Electronic Exchange (EEE) – Mandates all jurisdiction (SDLA) reports on convicted or disqualified commercial drivers are performed electronically using CDLIS; Compliance August 2024
  • Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH) – Requires states to use either of two options to interface with the DACH when acting on a commercial driver’s positive result; Compliance November 2024
  • National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) –Interface with new NRCME; Compliance June 2025

FMCSA also expressed interest in improving the removal of unlawful Entry Level Driver Training schools through an improved reporting process.  

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted its focus on uniform crash and traffic reporting and emphasized an upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for states to improve their crash data reporting.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance committed its support for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) used heavily by the states and operated by AAMVA. NMVTIS has proven to be a particularly valuable tool to vehicle theft investigators for crime investigations. 

Homeland Security, Office of REAL ID

The Director of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of REAL ID reported that the program has moved under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and with the move will come a larger team to fulfill state REAL ID recertification requirements and interagency support for improvements in verification systems. Discussion was particularly focused around the Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) system at airport security check points. States have found it takes 3-6 months for REAL ID/TSA to add their new, more secure license issuances to the machines, resulting in problems for some travelers. 

Eastern Transportation Coalition (TET)

The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TET) CEO briefed the Board on developments across the U.S. among states that have implemented mileage-based user fees or their equivalent.  

Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)

Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) representatives offered their commitment to continuing to strengthen the relationship between state highway safety offices and DMVs.

Wrap-up and Feedback

The Board of Directors is committed to governing AAMVA in the interest of jurisdiction members. If you have a question about this meeting, or if you have a topic you would like the Board to consider, contact a Board member through AAMVA’s member directory or through the general contact AAMVA page.