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ASA AMERICAN SUNTANNING ASSOCIATION UPDATE American Suntanning Association representatives traveled to Washington D.C. for a series of meetings on Capitol Hill in May. ASA board members and their management team met with several key legislators from around the country. Regular meetings like these are part of the ASA's broader federal government relations strategy to maintain relationships with high-ranking members of Congress and committee members who can support our position for our proactive efforts or defend us when we are under attack. The ASA lobbying team attended 21 meetings over three days, educating key political players and small business organizations. "Our message was received very well at every meeting we attended," ASA President Bart Bonn said. "There were a lot of positive interactions while we informed these groups about our science and the fnancial motivations of those attacking our industry. In many cases, we were invited back for further discussion and directed to other organizations for their assistance." The ASA lobbying team will be back in D.C. this summer to continue with these efforts. As it is with all ASA initiatives, research is the backbone of these efforts. The basis for developing and maintaining these relationships with key legislators and offcials is to provide them with compelling scientifc research that backs our industry's position – that professional indoor tanning businesses are part of the solution, not the problem. We have already compiled signifcant research that supports our industry's position on UV exposure and the proper role of professional salons, and will continue to support the development of credible research to challenge the very weak associative studies currently used to attack UV exposure and our market. This research and the scientists that support it is the most important ingredient for all of ASA's lobbying, PR and legal initiatives. The valuable meetings on Capitol Hill were organized with the help of the ASA's government relations frm, mCapitol. As one of the best-connected government relations frms in Washington D.C., 35 SMART TAN MAGAZINE ❘ SmartTan.com mCapitol handles day-to-day operation of all of the ASA's federal lobbying efforts. More than a dozen mCapitol representatives are currently working on our behalf to position the tanning retail community on Capitol Hill and helping the ASA develop and maintain the vital relationships that will ensure that tanning salons do not get blind-sided by unfair taxes and regulations as we have been in the past. This proactive, relationship-based strategy also applies at the state level, where the ASA is actively working with prominent government relations groups in every state where legislation is pending, or is a possibility. For more than a decade, our industry has invested millions of dollars lobbying against onerous state legislation. In order to lighten this burden in the future, the ASA is working proactively and constructively with state legislators and regulators to create and bolster responsible, consumer-oriented and business-friendly regulations that will beneft consumers and professional salon businesses. With the help of the substantial science that ASA has already collected, we have educated many state legislators and worked out reasonable compromises for 2013 state bills. Our strong opposition to over-regulation is always solution-oriented instead of merely obstructionist, and that is making a difference. Moving forward, the ASA will establish mechanisms for a constructive and proactive lobbying presence in state houses with local market champions and successful lobbying frms. This will put us in the position to preempt our opponent's efforts to impose onerous regulations and to prevent future legislation from gaining traction in states where bills have passed. State Update The current legislative session is winding down in most states, but several teen tan ban bills remain active. As of the writing of this update, June 14, the most recent state teen tan ban legislation updates included: