Your AARP ;
; CONTEST
Share your volunteer story in
the Win & Do Good: Cabot
Cruise Contest and Sweepstakes, sponsored by AARP
Create the Good. ; To
enter the contest, submit an
inspiring volunteer story by
April 2 for a chance to win
a weeklong Alaska cruise
for you and a guest—and
up to $5,000 for your
favorite charity. ; Play the
daily instant-win game now
through May
21 for a chance
to win two $25
gift cards, one
for you and one
for the charity
of your choice. For details
about eligibility and rules, go
to createthegood.org/cruise.
No purchase necessary. A purchase will not
increase your chances of winning. Open to
legal residents of the 50 United States, D.C.,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands age 18 years
and older. Void where prohibited. Contest ends
April 2, 2012. Instant-win game ends May 21,
2012. For official rules, instant-win game odds,
disclosures and prize descriptions, visit create
thegood.org/Cabot. Sponsor: AARP, 601 E St.
NW, Washington DC 20049.
Prizes for
Volunteers
; WASHINGTON WATCH
Bill Pulled
On Cellphone
Robo-Calls
An outcry by AARP and consumer
groups successfully derailed proposed legislation in Congress that
could have allowed automated advertising “robo-calls” to cellphones.
; The bill, called the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011,
was aimed at leveling the
telemarketing playing
field between landlines
and cellphones. It would
have allowed “
informational” calls to your cellphone after a company obtains your
number from you—and supposedly
would not allow direct sales pitches. ; But concerns from consumers
that such access would open the
door to nuisance calls and unwanted
sales pitches led the sponsors, Reps.
DISCOUNTS
; Overseas
flights
AARP members
can receive discounts of $75 to
$400 on British
Airways round-trip
tickets from the
United States to
the United Kingdom or beyond.
Restrictions apply.
For details, go to
ba.com/aarp.
; NATIONAL POLICY COUNCIL
AARP is seeking eight qualified candidates for its
National Policy Council. ; The group of 25 volunteers recommends positions on public policy
issues based on comments from AARP members
and policy analysis. Council members are appointed by AARP’s board of directors. ; For more
information or an application form, go to aarp.org/
npc, email npc@aarp.org or write to AARP Office
of Policy Integration, T3-317, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049. Applications are due by Feb. 29.
In Search of Candidates
Lee Terry, R-Neb., and Ed
Towns, D-N. Y., to
withdraw the legislation. ; In a letter to the
House Energy and Commerce
Committee, Reps. Terry and Towns
said they could not satisfy concerns
that the legislation would hurt consumers. ; “We have been unable to
reach any kind of consensus on language that bans unwanted cellphone
calls, while allowing calls that are
consented to,” they wrote. ; Initially,
the sponsors had said that with more
than 40 percent of Americans using
cellphones as their primary communications device, the bill would have
allowed consumers to receive needed notifications, such as changes in
airline flights. But AARP notes that
among the over- 50 population, only
20 percent use cellphones as their
main calling device. ; AARP lobbied
legislators and worked on a resolution
opposing the bill. “Pulling this legisla-
tion is a victory for consumers,” says
Marti Doneghy, AARP senior legisla-
tive representative. “AARP will stay
on top of this issue if it tries to rein-
vent itself in another form.”
c i
; Email offers Members who register at AARPdiscounts .com can cus- tomize their preferences to receive notices about discounts available only to AARP members by email.
