December 31, 2008

Erich Schuttauf, Executive Director

AANR Receives a Very Special Planned Gift

Months ago we wrote that the Association was named as a beneficiary in the estate of the late Albert Savage, long-time member.  This week we received a check from his probate attorney in the amount of $10,000, which will be allocated to AANR’s Connett fund.

The Connett fund provides an endowment that is used for one-time special initiatives that make a lasting difference on the future of nude recreation. It also enables the Association to retire debts early (for example, it helped eliminate the mortgage on the headquarters building years ago).  If you would like more information about the Partners in Planned Giving program, including the availability of making a tax deductible donation to the AANR Education Foundation, please contact us at editor@aanr.com.

A Very Personal Thanks

While we’re on the subject of saying thanks, I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the seven regions of AANR who, on their initiative, each contributed to a special gift that we were able to provide to AANR staff during this holiday season.  Thanks to the efforts of our regions, each staffer received a gift card from Target which provided something extra as they prepared for family and friends.  We deeply appreciate this thoughtfulness.

Happy New Year

From all of us, to all of you, we extend our best wishes for a happy and safe New Year holiday.  In observance of the holiday, the AANR office will be closed on Thursday and Friday. We will reopen on Monday, January 5.

We Get Publicity

A story was put out by the NY Times recounting what, in their readers’ opinion, were the top travel stories of the year. We made # 4 !!!!!

What a great way to celebrate the New Year!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/travel/31topstories.html?8dpc
AANR Helping Members

About two months ago, we noted that we were working with a member and his family in the Pacific Northwest being questioned by authorities after it came to their attention that the family occasionally goes nude within its own home and visits nudist clubs.  At the time we provided guidance to the family’s attorney, written material, and a listening ear.

We’re very pleased to report that Club/Member Liaison Terry Justice received a call from the family that the matter has been dropped entirely.

News to Use

Many AANR clubs have established policies greatly restricting–or outright prohibiting–the use of cameras on club grounds out of respect for member privacy.  A seminar about taking control of hidden, clandestine photography was presented at previous conventions and is undergoing a revision to reflect the latest developments in the law on that subject.

The results of a decision handed down by a Wisconsin state appeals court this week will be worth noting, too.  There, the court ruled by a 2-1 vote that the fact a person may have willingly appeared nude in the presence of another did not negate their reasonable expectation of privacy against being filmed without their knowledge.  In the case, the defendant argued that since his girlfriend willingly went about the house nude (and engaged in voluntary sexual relations with the defendant) he had committed no crime in placing a
hidden camera that videotaped her during those activities.  The appeals court disagreed, paving the way for a  conviction under the state’s video voyeurism law.  For an Associated Press version of the story, click here:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h_TbnIm1Kth6WH5IU2d23RaSke
mAD95D9BV80

Terry Justice, Club/Member Liaison

Naturally California has relinquished its charter.

Debra Sue Stevens, Government Affairs

REQUEST: Print the following in your Club Newsletter or send to your members in your E-News, when timely and appropriate.  We want the members to know what GAT does for them!

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – Annual Update on the
States

A year ago, during the dying days of the global economic boom, state officeholders throughout the land glowed in the anticipation of continued prosperity. When the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reported on the fiscal health of states in November 2007, not a single state gave a pessimistic appraisal of its prospects. Indeed, governors across the land were unveiling creative initiatives that seemed to ratify Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ famous declaration that states are laboratories of
democracy.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released its latest update on the states’ fiscal health this month. The national survey of legislative fiscal officers found that, despite closing significant budget gaps, states find themselves billions in the hole, due to shortfalls that have emerged since they completed their budgets. The report also shows the number is only likely to grow as states assemble their FY 2010 forecasts.

For more information on this topic visit: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2008/pr12022008Top9.htm

Communicating with Congress Report by CMF

After nearly 10 years of research, outreach, and study of the communications between citizens and Congress, Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) has released the culminating report, Communicating with Congress: Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue with recommendations for advocacy organizations, Congressional offices, and advocacy vendors, as
well as suggested improvements to the structure and processes for managing Congressional communications. To view the entire report, go to: http://www.capitoladvantage.com/newsarticles/articles/documents/study-cmf-20081215-communicatingcongress.pdf

Important Dates for the 111th Congress

*      Jan. 3: The 111th Congress officially begins (but since that date falls on a weekend, new members will be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 5).

*      Jan. 20: Inauguration Day.

*      Feb. 2: The president is required by law to submit annual budget proposals to Congress by the first Monday in February. As a matter of practice, a new president normally submits a placeholder plan on that date, and then provides Congress a full budget submission sometime in March.

AANR Legislative Tracking

Statistics for 2008:

o    2,313 bills have been reviewed personally by AANR in 2008.

o    305 bills have been reviewed in full text by AANR in 2008.

o    27 bills are on the Government Affairs “2008 Legislative Tracking List”

o    30 bills have been added to the “2009 Legislative Tracking List”

o    121 bills moved to an inactive status in the 2008 Session.

AANR encourages our membership to assist in the process of tracking bills and news impacting nude recreation.  Always contact the AANR office before taking action.  This ensures that your actions are aligned with the strategy underway for any particular bill or advocacy effort.  Remember, AANR GAT
works for you!