The ACA Thomas Jefferson award for 2006 was given to David Abell and Rena Bitter, key Consular officials serving in Iraq and Jordan. More info on this ACA website.

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ACA Directors Jackie Bugnion and Roger Conklin had positive discussions late November with staffers of key Congress members, including Senator Max Baucus (D-MT; new Chairman of the Finance Committee), and Congressman Charles Rangel (NY-D-21st; new Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee), as well as with the offices of Republicans in Congress who sponsored the Working American Competitiveness Act in the 109th Congress.

Democrat offices were highly critical of the tax hike on overseas Americans that took place in May of 2006 and indicated general support for overseas Americans. It was suggested that repeal of this tax hike should be given first priority, as an immediate objective. The new Democratic leadership will aim to reach bi-partisan agreement on certain issues early in the 110th session of Congress. All budgetary decisions will be made on a “pay as you go basis”, i.e. no tax decreases will be allowed unless a compensating tax revenue or expenditure cut is made.

The Republican offices visited were in a wait-and-see mode, but there was indication of positive intentions to reintroduce the Working American Competitive Act in the 110th Congress. Full details on both the May 2006 legislation and the proposed Working American Competitive Act, as well as sample letters, are on this ACA website.

NOW more than ever is the time for YOUR intervention. Write to your Senators and Representatives who will be present in the 110th Congress (en.wikipedia.org). Send hard copy letters, as emails from abroad are often blocked or ignored. Introduce yourself as an overseas American voting in their district. Restrict your message to one page and indicate the damage of the tax hike to overseas Americans. Ask them to join a bi-partisan movement to repeal the tax hike modifying Section 911 as a revenue compensation measure in the TIRPA bill passed in May 2006.

Your vote counted in November; now let the new Congress know what you expect from it!

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The Overseas Vote Foundation’s ongoing survey concerning overseas voter experiences in the November election is yielding a wealth of information, along with some truth-stranger-than-fiction tales. Whatever your personal story, share it via the easy-to-complete survey, to help obtain an overall picture of what works – and does not – in the existing system. www.overseasvotefoundation.org

Readers are also encouraged to share their experiences in voting, whether good or bad, with ACA email: .

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Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District will be having a run-off election on 9 December 2006. District voters who were registered to vote in the 7 November will automatically be sent a ballot. UOCAVA voters can both receive and return the ballot via fax. Note the necessity of two witness signatures. Full details at: www.fvap.gov

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Support is growing among US groups worldwide for the concept of overseas Americans having non-voting representatives in Congress representing their specific interests and concerns. While the estimated population of overseas citizens totals more than the population of Kentucky, their voting power is not cumulative, but dispersed over all 50 states. At present there is no one office anywhere in the federal government that has an overview of overseas citizens issues. The proposed representatives would be along the lines of representatives currently elected by Guam or the District of Columbia.

The more numerous and geographically diverse the support for this measure is, the more likely it is to bear fruit. Encourage organizations in which you play a role to jump on the bandwagon! Groups which lend their support to the ACA initiative are: American Business Council of the Gulf Countries (ABCGC); Association of American Clubs in Spain and Portugal (ALLAMO); American Club of Rome; American Club of Panama; American Club of Madrid; U.S. Navy League, Madrid Council; Republicans Abroad, Spain; American Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia (AMCHAM).

Full background details and proposal on the ACA website. ACA contact person is Andy Sundberg, email thru ACA: .

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Online interactive webchats from the US Department of State cover a variety of topics – e.g. on 1 December, World AIDS Day, a discussion about AIDS. Upcoming chats are on the “Role of the Media in Shaping American Policy and Public Opinion” and the Freedom of Informatin Act. Online registration to receive notification of and/or participate in the web chats is quick and easy.

On 5 December the first of a continuing series of “Talk to the Consul” sessions will feature Andre Goodfriend, Chief of American Citizen Services at the US Embassy in London. He’ll field questions concerning what your Embassy can do for you as a private American citizen living abroad. [Thanks to reader Leila Heron for this tip.]

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The good old greenback is increasingly less green – and we’re not talking exchange rates here. The Dept of the Treasury is gradually redesigning US bills, and introducing various colors. The latest series of U.S. currency began with the introduction of the $20 note in 2003, and continued with the $50 note in 2004 and the $10 note in 2006. The redesigned $5 note is expected to be issued in early 2008 with the $100 note to follow.

See the new bills at: www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney/

This makes one curious about coins, of course, and here is even more diversity: www.usmint.gov

Both of the above sites, plus www.bep.treas.gov offer lots of history and FAQs concerning American currency, as well.

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American Citizens Abroad co-founder and insatiable seeker of fascinating facts, Andy Sundberg, is member of the “Overseas American Academy” which has been working some time already to brew up interesting events celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Baptism of America, which took place in St. Dié (now part of France) in April 1507.

Potential projects galore in Europe and North America await interested volunteers. Time to get in gear: only a few months to prepare! Contact Andy Sundberg thru ACA for full details.

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Here's some ideas for Christmas presents:

Santa Claus is coming … and NORAD is tracking him, as it has been for decades: www.noradsanta.org

Other interesting Santa sites include: www.northpole.com and www.claus.com.

BEST WISHES FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS – AND HELP ACA TO CONTINUE TO HELP YOU IN 2007.

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This News Update is, like ACA itself, of, by, and for Americans abroad. ACA is staffed through the efforts of volunteers, with its primary income source being membership fees and donations from private American citizens around the world.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE HANDS-ON TO ACA WORK:

1. NEWS UPDATE EDITORS. ACA is seeking to supplement its News Update staff. Work involves actually writing the News Update 2 - 3 times a year, under supervision of a Senior Editor, and monitoring raw material considered for the newsletter on a regular basis. Calls for e-mail access and an ability to write/edit succinctly and against a deadline. ACA takes pride in the global spread of its editors.
   
   
2. BOOK REVIEWS/REVIEWERS. ACA is interested in discovering books of particular interest to Americans abroad. It also seeks individuals willing to review such books. Reviewers get to keep the book, and to see their contribution in print. Click here for a list of books or contact the ACA office.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO ACA'S FINANCIAL SUCCESS:

1. ORDER YOUR PUBLICATIONS THROUGH THE ACA WEBSITE and we get paid for your business - at no extra cost to you. Go to the Book Review section and click on any link to amazon-com (USA) or amazon-UK. Any purchases you make when you have entered through the ACA portal, whether of items reviewed on the website or not, will generate a small revenue for ACA; Please make this extra click-to-give gesture to help us continue to help you. You can also order our new ACA book So far and Yet So Near directly from www.amazon.com USA or from www.amazon.co.UK and add your other orders.
   
   
2. JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL AUCTION. The FUNdraiser evening produces the single largest annual contribution to ACA's working budget. And the highest bids are for items ingenious and/or exotic. It's a good bet that someone in the attending crowd of internationals will be intrigued by even the most distant and/or unusual of objects or services. This year's auction is scheduled for Friday 20th April 2007 at the Ramada Parkhotel in Geneva. Be there!
   
   
3. IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP CURRENT? Renew by secure online payment or contact the ACA office . Membership is only US$40 a year (CHF 60). Of course, an outright contribution via check or charge card is the most obvious way to support the work of ACA and its worldwide volunteers working to help YOU. Secure payment using PayPal^®, or send a check to: ACA, 5 rue Liotard, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland.

Disclaimer: While ACA makes every effort to be accurate in the information it transmits, such information is not to be considered a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.

JOIN US!