Legislative Update: Members of Congress Recognize TSCL Volunteers

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Legislative Update: Members of Congress Recognize TSCL Volunteers

By Patty Gaul, Director of Legislative Affairs, TREA Senior Citizens League

Your TSCL Board of Trustees was in town for a full week of meetings in mid-March and, as always, they didn’t fail to amaze the TSCL staff with their energy and determination in fighting for the earned benefits of seniors. After two full days of meetings on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress and their staffs to discuss issues important to seniors, TSCL sponsored a Congressional Reception (joined by The Retired Enlisted Association) at which Congressman Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) was honored with our MVP Award for Legislative Action (see “Taking On The Pharmaceutical Industry; TSCL Recognizes Drug Importation Champion, Congressman Gil Gutknecht” at http://www.tscl.org/NewContent/102167.asp). Legislative consultants David and Betty Funderburk presented Congressman Gutknecht with the award.

At the Congressional Reception, Congressman Gil Gutknecht — along with Representative Walter Jones (R-NC; one of last year’s MVP Award recipients) — honored each of the volunteer members of the Board of Trustees with certificates of special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to their communities and on behalf of seniors. The TSCL staff would like to thank Congressmen Gutknecht and Jones — we certainly feel their recognition of the TSCL Board is well deserved!

At the Congressional Reception, Chairman George A. Smith’s comments highlighted several of TSCL’s recent key activities:

“Some of our recent successes and actions on the issues important to our members include being the first seniors’ organization to formally support a constitutional amendment resolution offered by Congressman Gene Taylor (D-MS) that would protect Social Security, Medicare, and retired military trust funds by keeping them off budget. The legislation would end the practice by which the American people are denied the best, most accurate information on the size of this country’s deficit.

We are continuing our push for Senate passage of strong prescription drug reimportation language. We have extensive information on our website (http://www.tscl.org/PrescriptionDrug.asp) about this issue, and that material has generated questions and requests from Congressional offices as well as other entities about our support. Last November, our legislative consultant, Former Member of Congress and Former Ambassador to Romania, David Funderburk, was asked to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on this issue.

"Notch reform is also a key issue for TSCL, and we are working with Members of Congress to force a vote on legislation in the 108th Congress.”

June 2004