FTA Drug And Alcohol Regulation Updates

Winter 2004

Issue 26

Inside....

Several key Department of Transportation (DOT) drug and alcohol testing program officials have changed positions. On July 28, 2003, Mark Snider, a Transit Safety and Security Specialist who served as the FTA Drug and Alcohol Program Manager, left that position to become a Program Analyst Officer for the DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC). Mr. Jerry Fisher, a Senior Safety and Security Specialist and long time proponent of the FTA regulations has been named the Program Manager. Mr. Fisher can be reached at (202) 366-1651 or jerry.fisher@fta.dot.gov.  Harry Saporta, Director of Transit Safety and Security left FTA at the end of the year to join the private sector. Cindy Terwilliger has been appointed the Acting Director of Transit Safety and Security. Ms. Terwilliger can be reached at (202) 366-6577 or cindy.terwilliger@fta.dot.gov. Kenneth Edgell, Acting Director of the ODAPC, retired in February. Jim L. Swart, a Drug and Alcohol Policy Advisor with the ODAPC, has been appointed the Acting Director in his stead. Mr. Swart can be reached at (202) 366-3784, or jim.swart@ost.dot.gov.

Newsletter to Go Electronic

Over the next calendar year, the electronic publication and distribution of this newsletter (FTA Drug and Alcohol Regulation Updates) will be phased-in. To facilitate this effort, all recipients of this newsletter are asked to email the editor with a current email address. This address will be added to the database and used as the basis for distribution of future issues. The Spring issue will be distributed to the database using both the internet and the U.S. Postal service. The Summer and Fall issues will be distributed via the Internet to those who have provided an email address. Hard copies will only be mailed to those individuals who have requested to remain on the mailing list, but do not have access to the Internet. Those individuals who do not respond to confirm their continued interest in receiving the newsletter will be purged from the database. To provide your email address or to request continued receipt of hard copies please contact the editor at rlsasc@mindspring.com, or call (937) 299-5007 or fax (937) 299-1055.

One-Day FTA Seminar Offered
FTA is offering a one-day seminar to present a high-level overview of 49 CFR Parts 40 and 655. The presentation will also include a discussion of the new MIS form and recommendations for addressing prescription and over-the-counter drug use by safety-sensitive employees. The seminars are free of charge, however, all attendees must register in advance as space is limited. To register or to obtain more information, contact Olivia D. Alexis at (617) 494-3344 or (617) 494-3798 or by email at olivia.alexis@volpe.dot.gov. Dates and locations of remaining seminars: