Is there a State Department employee who has rendered exemplary service to your community? Whether s/he is a foreign service national, a consular agent, a consul, ambassador or other, nomination for American Citizens Abroad’s Thomas Jefferson Award is a high-profile way to record your thanks.

The State Department is notified of all nominees, and this is often marked on the individual’s service record. The winner’s name is engraved on a plaque which is displayed in the State Department, and s/he is presented with a framed certificate during a ceremony held in Washington.

Previous winners include personnel of all ranks based in Cameroon, Italy, Uruguay, Israel, Spain, the Philippines, Iraq, Washington and elsewhere, who have through their commitment, creativity and enthusiasm served, inspired and united "their" American communities.

Nominations for the award should include:

• One or more letters of recommendation, explaining why the candidate should be chosen for the award, citing anecdotes and examples of service to the local community;
• A curriculum vitae;
• A recent photograph of the candidate, if possible showing him/her among members of the local community that the candidate is serving or has served;
• Those submitting nominations should also provide their own name, organization and phone/fax/emails;
• The deadline for submission of nominations for the 2007 Thomas Jefferson Award is February 29, 2008.

Nominations should be sent to: Thomas Jefferson Award Committee, American Citizens Abroad, 5 rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland. For further information contact ACA at tel/fax: +41 22 3400233 or email:

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The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) has published the results of its latest survey of Foreign Service personnel (www.afsa.org). Even more emphatically than in past years, junior Foreign Service Officers objected to being subjected to a cut in pay of 20% from the base Washington, DC posting rate when serving abroad. As many pointed out, they continue to have mortgage payments and other expenses related to being tied to Washington. Overseas Comparability Pay, the elimination of the pay inequity between those serving in Washington and those serving abroad, has been for many years THE priority issue for both AFSA and the members of the Foreign Service. FS-01 and below. Senior officials (above FS-01), like officials of other U.S. agencies, do receive comparability pay.

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...Because nothing could be simpler than registering to vote from abroad, thanks to Overseas Vote Foundation’s new step-by-step method of walking you through the process (www.overseasvotefoundation.org). You will need the address of your last residence in the US (or a description, if we are talking of mountain tops or other sparsely inhabited spots), the last four digits of your Social Security number as identification, 5 minutes of your time, and a pen, envelope and stamp to sign the printout of the form you fill out online.

It’s not yet too late to register for many primaries (a list of which can be found on this ACA website or on that of the Overseas Vote Foundation.

While ACA actively supports Overseas Vote Foundation because of its excellent organization and its non-governmental, non-partisan nature, various other sites exist that also permit filling out registration forms online: see the Federal Voting Assistance Program (www.fvap.gov), Republican Abroad (www.republicansabroad.org) and Democrats Abroad (www.democratsabroad.org) websites.

ACA is proud to have been named as a Strategic Alliance partner of Overseas Vote Foundation. Let's all work together to make the 2008 overseas voter turnout stronger than ever!

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ACA Director Jackie Bugnion met in Washington in late December with numerous staffers of the House Americans Abroad Caucus members, including those of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Mike Honda.

In late November 2007 Rep. Honda (D-CA) introduced the OVERSEAS Vote Act (H.R. 4173) and Rep. Maloney (D-NY) the Overseas Voting Practical Amendments Act of 2007 (H.R. 4237). Both bills would ban states from requiring witnessing or notarization of ballot return envelopes for military and overseas voters, and would extend voting rights to American-citizen children born overseas who may have not established residency in the United States, permitting them to use the voting residence address of their American parent/s.

Rep. Honda’s bill stresses outreach and education of overseas voters, through creation of a $5 million competitive grant for nonpartisan organizations to conduct outreach and provide information and assistance to overseas civilian citizens. It further requires the Secretary of State to ensure that passports include a page describing the voting rights of overseas Americans.

Rep. Maloney’s bill builds on a number of "lessons-learned" in recent elections to adjust the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) to prevent cases of effective disenfranchisement due to cumbersome and confusing procedures.

Hearings on the two bills are expected in March or April. Meanwhile, the drive is on to sign on additional co-sponsors. Contact your Congressional representative to encourage him/her to cosponsor and vote for both of these bills. IF you contact email via your Congressperson’s website, remember to use your American voting address, mentioning in the text of the email that you live abroad.

The full text of ACA’s press release on the subject can be found here.

ACA, together with AARO (Association of Americans Resident Overseas) and FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas) have sent a joint letter supporting the two bills to all members of the Americans Abroad Caucus, stating that "rapid passage into law is essential". The letter continues, "We hope that all members of the Americans Abroad Caucus will unite behind this non-partisan issue so vital to Americans residing overseas."

ACA thanks you for your interest and help.

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American Citizens Abroad is periodically contacted by Americans residing overseas who are unable to open or maintain a bank account with an American bank solely because they have a foreign address. This became an issue due to changes in banking regulations after the passage of the 2001 Patriot Act.

ACA is preparing to bring to the attention of Congress and the Treasury Department the magnitude of this issue and the problems it creates for Americans residing overseas. We need to document specific cases with a cross-section of banks to prepare a valid case. If you have encountered such a problem, kindly send an email to ACA (email: ) with the following information:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your telephone number
• Your email address
• Name and address of the bank which refused you as a client
• Year in which this problem arose
• Brief description of the specific problem encountered and outcome
• If you have any written correspondence with the bank concerning the refusal, a copy would also be very helpful.

DO NOT send any bank account numbers, in the case you were obliged to close an existing account due to the bank’s decision.

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Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) introduced the "Working American Competitiveness Act" (H.R. 4752) on 17 December 2007. This is a major step forward as there is now bi-partisan support and bills in both the House and the Senate. While no tax reform legislation will take place until after the elections, this proposed legislation provides Americans abroad with a good base to defend our cause. It has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Like the similar bill introduced in the Senate last April (S. 1140) by Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), the proposed legislation stipulates: "At the election of a qualified individual, there shall be excluded from the gross income of such individual, and exempt from taxation under this subtitle, for any taxable year, the foreign earned income of such individual."

To build momentum for this proposed legislation, write to your representative and Senators to express your support for these bills.

Full texts of both bills can be found via www.thomas.gov

Now that we have bi-partisan support and bills in both chambers, help us to muster the support to see this become a reality.

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If you have an interest in seeing How Washington Works, and particularly if you are concerned about one or more of the issues which impact on overseas Americans (such as taxation, citizenship transmission, Social Security and Medicare, voting from abroad), consider participating in Overseas Americans Week (OAW) the week of 14 April 2008.

Join with other ACA volunteers and representatives of other overseas groups such as AARO (Association of Americans Resident Overseas) and FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas) in their annual joint visit to Washington. Seasoned veterans of previous OAWs always welcome and support newcomers.

Contact ACA email: for further information.

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Available for Immediate Purchase!!

The 2007/2008 Expat’s Guide to US Taxes by Jane Bruno, J.D., LL.M. (Tax)

This comprehensive guide to the US tax rules governing Americans overseas provides a wealth of information from how to compute the maximum foreign income exclusion to what deductions are available to how to handle issues related to foreign spouses—and much, much more.

This e-book can be easily purchased and downloaded for immediate reading by visiting: www.oceanwavestax.com

Jane Bruno is a long-time contributor to ACA. Her numerous articles on our web pages make surprisingly easy reading – as does her book.

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As of 31 January 2008 passports or other formal proof of identity and citizenship is required for travel within the Western Hemisphere. For full details see: www.dhs.gov

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On 11 January 2008, the Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule concerning standards for REAL ID documents – including state drivers' licenses and ID cards:

The related press release says "REAL ID will address document fraud by setting specific requirements that states must adopt for compliance, to include: (1) information and security features that must be incorporated into each card; (2) proof of the identity and U.S. citizenship or legal status of an applicant; (3) verification of the source documents provided by an applicant; and (4) security standards for the offices that issue licenses and identification cards."

The first deadline for compliance with REAL ID is Dec. 31, 2009. By then, states must upgrade the security of their license systems, to include a check for lawful status of all applicants, to ensure that illegal aliens cannot obtain REAL ID licenses. Compliance will be needed for access into a federal facility, boarding commercial aircraft, and entering nuclear power plants. Federal agencies will continue to accept licenses for official purposes from residents of states that comply with the law.

Passports will continue to be considered satisfactory documentation, of course, but eventual problems may arise for Americans abroad who retain state drivers' licenses.

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Thanks to Jonathan Lippman of the US Consular Agency in Geneva and his assistant Sylvia, the extraordinary Saturday-morning opportunity to apply for passport and/or register to vote on 1 December 2007 was a roaring success. Passport applications, particularly for young children, who must not only appear in person, but for whom both parents (regardless of nationality) must sign consent for them to receive their passport, came close to setting a record for the Consular Agency. Many individuals took advantage of both services; voter registration assistants were kept busy for the entire three hours.

Everyone agreed that such an outreach is definitely worth repeating.

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Watch the ACA website for news of other events currently being planned for the coming months. Among them:

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If you are a reader, check out www.afsa.org/ads/books/fsauthors.cfm for a collection of books written by Foreign Service-related authors. Travel lore, yes; diplomacy and history, of course; but a range of books impressive by its breadth and depth. (Again, if you want to order any, enter Amazon via the ACA website to give us a few pennies at no expense to you. Thanks!)

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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, email:

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. Next year's auction will be held on Friday 11th April 2008 at the Ramada Park Hôtel in Geneva. See our Donors List of fabulous prizes.
   
   
3. IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP CURRENT? Renew by secure online payment or contact the ACA office email: . Membership is only US$50 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, 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!