House Speaker Dennis Hastert presented U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey with the Teddy Roosevelt Award today for his extraordinary efforts to educate the public about the new Medicare prescription drug law. Gingrey is the first member to win the House GOP Conference honor.

“I want to thank you for going above and beyond the ordinary to communicate with your constituents on how we have worked to strengthen Medicare with a prescription drug benefit,” Hastert said to Gingrey. “Phil, you have been our ‘man in the arena.’ You have strived valiantly and our conference, our country and your district are better for those efforts.”

Gingrey has held nearly 40 town hall meetings throughout his district in senior centers, hospitals and nursing homes. Other Gingrey efforts include numerous opinion columns, newspaper, radio and TV interviews, and educational mail pieces sent from his Washington office. Gingrey also hosted two hourlong “special orders” on the House floor to explain the merits of the Medicare legislation.

“I greatly appreciate this recognition from my colleagues and from Speaker Hastert, particularly,” Gingrey said. “This Congress has created a great new benefit that we can be proud of and I want to make sure that Georgia’s seniors know that help is on the way for those who’ve struggled to pay the high costs of prescription drugs. Finally, we have a Medicare system that works to prevent illness rather than just treat it.

“It’s an honor to spread the word about that, and I’ll continue to do so.”