Trent Lott: “The motor vehicle administrators, the real front line experts on this issue, carefully and thoughtfully outlined their…”

“The motor vehicle administrators, the real front line experts on this issue, carefully and thoughtfully outlined their practical concerns with the proposed federal overlay approach. First, the AAMVA letter noted that a federal overlay along with a separate state branding process undercuts the important objective of uniformity in the handling of salvage vehicles. Second, since participation in the federal standards is entirely voluntary for the states, the federal 'overlay' approach serves no useful purpose. And, third, the letter pointed out that the federal overlay would create an unworkable, unmanageable system. The AAMVA also cautioned in its letter that 'the burden of interpreting and maintaining two sets of standards could discourage states from even attempting to implement the federal provisions. For the states that do attempt to implement, it will cause a ripple effect of confusion and errors among states that do not implement.' In my view, these are compelling arguments against adopting the federal overlay approach that was added when the bill passed the Senate on October 2.”