American Citizens Abroad
American Citizens Abroad (ACA) is a qualified, Section 501(c)(4) organization organized as a Delaware corporation. Its sister organization, American Citizens Abroad Global Foundation (ACAGF), is a qualified Section 501(c)(3) organization. Together, referred to as ACA, it is a leading representative of Americans residing outside the U.S. ACA maintains close contacts with a caucus within the U.S. Congress established under the direction of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. ACA interfaces with subsequent government administrations and other agencies in an attempt to change laws and regulations that place Americans overseas at a disadvantage to that of their fellow citizens living inside  the United States. ACA sends a monthly "News Update" to its members with information on new legislation, rules and events which affect U.S. citizens, whether living overseas or at home. ACA's web site also contains information on issues of concern to Americans overseas, including transmission of citizenship to offspring, taxation and voting. On taxation, ACA has written various pieces in its ongoing efforts to preserve the foreign earned income exclusion (FEIE), which is vital for Americans living and working overseas to avoid full double taxation. Recently ACA played a significant role in improving the ballot request form used for  absentee voting. Banking is another area of current activity to counteract disadvantages felt by American citizens abroad, who often cannot open new bank accounts, neither in the States because they have no address there to satisfy the Patriot Act, nor overseas because of the extra paperwork requirements imposed by the new Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). ACA works with U.S. embassies and other groups in a bipartisan manner on issues of common concern; it has co-organized town meetings across Switzerland producing a 10-page report; ACA founder, the late Andy Sundberg, was a moving force behind this  exercise. Anyone interested in country contacts within host nations may contact ACA's main offices online for such information.