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Array of organizations convene in Phila. to reach legislators

The usual suspects are pushing their causes at the national legislators conference in Philadelphia. Pharmaceutical companies are here, along with the energy firms, gun-rights lobbyists and abortion activists.

The usual suspects are pushing their causes at the national legislators conference in Philadelphia.

Pharmaceutical companies are here, along with the energy firms, gun-rights lobbyists and abortion activists.

But legislators who traveled here from around the country also are hearing from one group that has nothing to hide: nudists. And from another that speaks in a roar - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. They're also getting shocking reports from TASER International Inc.

This week, the Pennsylvania Convention Center has turned host to a litany of organizations that might at first seem out of place at a lawmakers conference. But in fact, all of them have interests that could be helped or harmed by legislation.

For instance, the nudists' major worry isn't sunburn. It's that laws aimed at strip joints can inadvertently sideswipe clothes-free clubs and campgrounds.

"The biggest thing we want lawmakers to do is leave us alone," said Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the American Association for Nude Recreation.

That means the AANR can't get behind on pending legislation. It must stay out in front, in touch with legislators and their aides.

Schuttauf - dressed in a conservative blue suit and tie - handed out souvenir pins to visitors, provoking the inevitable question: Where do nudists wear their pins?

He answered first with a smile.

His information booth was among 250 aligned in neat rows across the exhibition hall. Together they constitute a central feature of the National Conference of State Legislatures convention, allowing business, activists, and policy interests to converge in a single place.

"It's the heart of the meeting in many regards," said Michelle Cadwell Blackston, a NCSL spokeswoman. "Everyone goes through [the hall]."

And the people who need to talk to legislators - or their staffers or spouses - are waiting.

Ringling Bros. may be famous for clowns, but it sees legislation as no laughing matter.

"Every year there's someplace where a bill pops up that would ban the use of elephants or exotic animals," said Thomas Albert, vice president of government relations for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros.

For years the circus has battled allegations that it abuses elephants, charges that can resonate with lawmakers.

This year Connecticut legislators considered a bill to ban elephant-handlers from using pointed metal rods known as bullhooks. The bill died in committee, but its passage could have effectively kicked the circus out of Connecticut.

To reach lawmakers, the circus' parent company took out a full-page ad in the NCSL program, talking up its Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, and praising the Asian elephant as "a revered and respected member of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey family."

"Nobody is doing more to help them than Ringling Bros.," Albert said.

Every cause and exhibitor tried to lure visitors with small give-aways. Some offered luggage tags. Others gave out chocolate. Feld Entertainment workers handed out striking blue bags bearing the circus slogan, "The Greatest Show on Earth," along with coloring books for kids.

Six aisles away, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ran continuous video footage of elephants that belonged to a different circus being violently struck with clubs. The group said such practices were standard among circuses.

"We want legislators to take action in their communities," said RaeLeann Smith, PETA's circus and government affairs specialist.

It's not just smaller companies or organizations that have gathered at the convention center. The big boys came, too. The National Rifle Association was on hand, giving out hunter-orange baseball caps, and so was the National Education Association, American Medical Association, and Wal-Mart. The federal Homeland Security Department sent representatives. So did the Census Bureau.

Others stationed around the hall pressed the case for trucks, trains, and toys, for beer and bottled water, for Harrah's and Harvard, the latter represented by the Kennedy School of Executive Education.

"They're here to help you and point you in the right direction," said Jim Arnold, a state senator from Indiana, who stopped to exchange ideas at several booths. "I find it very beneficial. We have the opportunity to ask questions."

Arnold is one of an estimated 5,500 legislators, staffers, businesspeople, and union representatives at the convention.

"This is one-stop shopping for us," said Peter Holran, vice president of public relations for TASER International. "We can get the message out."

Use of a TASER, built to be a less-than-lethal stun gun, is banned in Philadelphia, so the company couldn't offer demonstrations at the convention center, he said. Still, several legislators came by to handle inert models and learn about the company.

Others chatted with staffers at the AANR, which bills itself as the "credible voice of reason for family social nude recreation." The group, based in Kissimmee, Fla., claims 213,000 members.

Schuttauf tells legislators that nudist clubs contribute to local economies, promote tourism, and create jobs. North America's 260 nudist resorts constitute a green, environmentally friendly industry: All they need is sunshine. And going naked is a natural, healthy choice, he said, one that that strips away the stress of modern society.

"You get naked, and you get into relaxation mode very fast," Schuttauf said.

As people stop to talk, he hands them a pin - this year's edition shows a silhouette of nudists arm in arm - and answers their questions. Where do nudists wear their pins?

On their hats.