Murrieta's congresswoman, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, was one of four members of Congress honored today for helping to strengthen drug prevention and treatment programs.
Bono Mack received the Congressional Leadership Award from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America at its National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, Md., which also honored Rep. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, and Illinois Reps. Danny K. Davis and Jesse Jackson Jr.
The award recognizes members of Congress who have "championed legislation and strategies to protect and enhance the federal role in substance abuse prevention, education, treatment and research," the group said in a statement.
Bono Mack, who co-chairs the House of Representatives' Youth Drug Prevention Caucus and Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus, said in a Twitter post that she was "honored" to receive the award.
On the legislative front, she sponsored the Support 21 Act of 2009, a bill that would strengthen local and national efforts to prevent underage drinking; and the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008, aimed at stopping Internet sales of controlled substances without a valid prescription.
"During one of the toughest funding climates Congress has seen in years, it's reassuring to know that there are lawmakers that remain passionate and committed to preventing youth drug abuse," said CADCA Chairman and CEO Gen. Arthur T. Dean.
"Representatives Bass, Bono Mack, Davis and Jackson are among our biggest champions in Congress, fighting tirelessly for substance abuse prevention programs that impact not just their states and districts but communities across the country and internationally," Dean said.
The National Leadership Forum brings together more than 2,500 substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers from across the country for training.
