# FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION PROGRAM

There is currently no database of all Federal motor vehicles or a
Federal vehicle registration process. Motor vehicles displaying the
official U.S. Government license plate and agency identification
required by the Federal Property Administrative services Act of 1949 are
not registered in any State or any one central location within the
Federal Government. This situation leaves us vulnerable to risks on many
fronts.

The issues surrounding the lack of a centralized repository of Federal
motor vehicle assets include national security, emergency response, and
vehicle misuse.

National security -- Federal and civilian aw enforcement activities
cannot readily identify if a particular license plate belongs with a
vehicle and if the vehicle and/or the license plate has been stolen.
Access to Federal facilities is often much easier for Federal vehicles
as they are subject to less scrutiny than private vehicles. Vehicles
with Federal license plates are not considered suspicious when parked
outside of Federal buildings, yet may present a security risk.

Emergency response -- Response to national and localized emergencies may
be improved if there was a single source to identify the location and
ownership of Federal motor vehicles. For instance, if another major
hurricane struck and say additional fuel trucks were needed to be
deployed to the affected area, we could identify which agencies had fuel
trucks, how many they had, their location, and the contact information
of the owner. The same methodology applies to fire equipment,
ambulances, buses, and maintenance vehicles.

Vehicle misuse -- The duty to operate Federal vehicles appropriately is
great. Agency vehicle owners and operators may be subject to liability
and strict penalties for misuse. These vehicles are major assets and are
a highly visible means by which the Federal Government interacts with
its citizenship. Reporting potential misuse of Federal vehicles is the
responsibility of everyone, yet it is difficult to readily identify the
vehicle owner to make a report.

It is apparent that we need to take action and set a course to manage
these risks and to improve the overall accountability for Federal motor
vehicles and license plates. To this end, a Federal Fleet Policy Council
(FEDFLEET) subcommittee was established last November to examine the
feasibility and related issues of instituting a Federal Vehicle
Registration Program. This subcommittee includes Steve Sosson from the
Department of Homeland Security, Lisset Ramirez from GSA Fleet
Headquarters, and Dionne Chisolm from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.

This subcommittee has been refining a business case for the program,
modeling the current state of the license plate lifecycle, and
documenting options and requirements to define the goals and functional
requirements for this program. The Federal Prison Industries UNICOR, our
current license plate provider, has been asked to develop a business
model to implement and maintain such a program.

Instituting a common-sense solution is key to making an effective
program. Input from the Federal community will define the scope of this
program and your ideas are welcome. Please join us during the FedFleet
2006 workshop in Los Angeles in June for an update on the project
developments and an opportunity to share your views. For additional
information or comment, please contact Jim Vogelsinger at
<james.vogelsinger@gsa.gov> or at (202) 501-1764.