Republican-Led 106th Congress Wins Designation As Most “Senior Friendly” Congress In 40 Years

For Release On Or After:
July 31, 2000

REPUBLICAN-LED 106th CONGRESS WINS DESIGNATION AS MOST “SENIOR FRIENDLY” CONGRESS IN 40 YEARS

Philadelphia, Pa. — The 60 Plus Association, a national non-partisan senior citizens organization, will announce at the Republican Party’s 2000 Convention in Philadelphia that it has designated the 106th Congress as the most “senior friendly” in 40 years. 60 Plus will also honor a number of the oldest delegates and alternates from the 50 states.

60 Plus President Jim Martin said his group will present Senior Citizen Freedom to Work Plaques to a number of Republicans for their leadership in abolishing the 60-year-old earnings limit on seniors.

These include Governor George Bush who urged eliminating the earnings limit; Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) for making it a Top 10 priority; Rep. Bill Archer (R-TX), Chairman of Ways and Means for scheduling hearings, Reps. Clay Shaw (R-FL), Subcommittee Chairman for holding hearings and Sam Johnson (R-TX) for sponsoring H.R. 5, which passed Mar. 1, 2000.

Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) made the House passed bill a legislative priority and Senator Bill Roth (R-DE), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee held hearings. It passed the Senate on March 22 and the President signed it into law on April 7, 2000. Thus, in four (4) months, Martin stressed, “the Republican led Congress abolished this unfair tax on seniors. Other reasons 60 Plus calls this the most “senior friendly” Congress in 40 years include passing a prescription drug benefit for seniors, stopping the raid on the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, abolishing the death tax that hurts small businesses and farmers, and repealing the 1993 Clinton-Gore tax on Social Security benefits.”

Martin noted that 60 Plus Chairman Roger Zion served in the House from the 90th through 93rd Congresses, 1967-75, while Martin himself covered Congress as a journalist starting in 1962 in the 87th Congress. Zion and Martin agree that in their nearly 40 years working on Capitol Hill the 106th Congress is “by far the most senior friendly.”

60 Plus will also honor a number of “senior citizen” delegates and alternates. 96-year-old Dorothy Burford from Missouri heads the list. She is one of seven delegates in their 90’s. More than a dozen are in their 80’s. 60 Plus will host an 8 — 9:30 a.m. breakfast on Aug. 3rd for the event to honor those delegates and alternates born before 1940, “those who are 60 Plus age-wise.” It is scheduled at the historic Union League Club, 140 South Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia.

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