AARP Presents 2009 Congressional Awards to Mikulski and Hoyer

BALTIMORE, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today AARP announced it has awarded 2009 Legislative Achievement Awards to Senator Barbara Mikulski and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for their work to champion legislation to improve the lives of Americans age 50-plus and their families. Twenty AARP Congressional Awards winners nationwide took action on legislation that will help older Americans by improving health care and bringing down overall health care costs; protecting the economic and retirement security of older Americans; and ensuring that their communities are affordable, safe and accessible.

Senator Mikulski and Representative Hoyer were each awarded a Legislative Achievement Award for their leadership on preventing age discrimination and working to ensure equal rights for all workers.

"We want to recognize the hard work that our lawmakers have done on the issues that are most critical to our members and all older Americans," said AARP Maryland Interim State Director Rawle Andrews Jr. "Because of Senator Mikulski and Leader Hoyer's continued commitment to equal treatment for all workers, more Marylanders will be protected from illegal discriminatory compensation practices."

Arrangements are being made for presentation ceremonies for both awards.

The AARP Congressional Awards were launched in 2008. AARP members and all Americans can find more information about the AARP Congressional Awards and AARP's advocacy efforts at www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 34.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Island.

SOURCE AARP Maryland