As I write this letter, I have just completed my first official AAMVA trip as board chair. Joined by Immediate Past Chair Eric Jorgenson, we represented AAMVA at the International Registration Plan (IRP) board meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.

While I have met IRP CEO Tim Adams and IRP Chair Jim Walker before, this was a great opportunity to meet their other board members and incoming chair and to learn a little more about IRP. It was an important reminder about the integrated work we do with key partners like IRP.

One partner I have spent a lot of time with over the last few years is Nlets (National Law Enforcement Telecommunication Systems). Having the opportunity to serve as the board representative to Nlets, I joined Tom Foster, AAMVA law enforcement program manager, at Nlets’ annual business meetings to explore member concerns around access to the personally identifiable information (PII) we are responsible for and how that data was being used. Conversations between AAMVA and Nlets leadership led Nlets to form an Attributes Requirements Task Force (ARTF) in 2020.

The ARTF was charged with identifying the requirements or attributes that state agencies believed were necessary to make informed decisions about whether to release PII to a requesting party. Nine states participated in the ARTF and identified attributes they thought were essential for making informed responses to driver and motor vehicle queries.

The board recommended that the Nlets attributes draft be shared with all states for review and comment.

The resulting draft document, “Nlets Standard Attributes for Authorization,” which lists those attributes, was presented to the AAMVA board during their meeting in Phoenix. Board discussion recognized that each state is unique, and not all attributes may be relevant to every state due to differences in law. The board also acknowledged that, because of those legislative differences, some states may need additional information before answering a query through Nlets.

With that said, the board recommended that the Nlets attributes draft be shared with all states for review and comment. By now, all state driver and motor vehicle agencies should have received the draft document from AAMVA President and CEO Ian Grossman. Please take the time to review the draft attributes and provide feedback. Your input is essential to guiding the board’s work with Nlets to standardize PII request processes.

I’ve also asked Electra Bustle, senior director of the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, to represent the AAMVA board as the Nlets liaison, and she has graciously accepted.

On a separate note, I am excited to announce that, at the 2025 AIC in Phoenix, the board chose system modernization as the topic for the 2026 Pop-up Classroom. Whether your agency has successfully transitioned to a new platform or is still migrating from an old mainframe, it’s critical to understand the latest and greatest technologies that will shape our operational future. As with all Pop-ups, this is sure to be an important and informative session, bringing together jurisdictions and our industry partners to learn, share and connect. The 2026 Pop-up is targeted for April, so stay tuned for exact dates, location and agenda.