WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky. (3rd CD), has issued the following news release:

Today, Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media named Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) a recipient of the 2012 Best of Congress Award, which celebrates lawmakers for their leadership in improving the quality of life for working families.

Congressman Yarmuth received the award at a ceremony this morning in Washington. This is the third time he has been named "Best of Congress" during his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"One of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure working families have the resources they need to be successful," Yarmuth said. "As our economic recovery progresses, I will continue to support policies that create more opportunities for families and promote health and prosperity at home."

This year's applicants for the award were judged on several important criteria: voting record, sponsorship of legislation, constituent casework, and other activities that demonstrate their commitment to improving the lives of working families.

During this Congress, Yarmuth has reintroduced the Expanding Dependent and Child Care Act, to help working families with the rising costs of dependent care; the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act, to support comprehensive literacy initiatives; and the Ready to Compete Act, to help provide Americans of all ages with the education they need to be competitive in the changing workforce. Yarmuth also consistently opposes Republican measures to cut funding for child care, education, nutrition assistance, and job-training programs.

Yarmuth is profiled in the August/September 2012 issue of Working Mother magazine and at workingmother.com. He is one of 30 lawmakers to receive the award.

"When we launched this prestigious recognition in 2008, we wanted to elevate the discussion and policy debate on working family issues, and we wanted to demonstrate that these are not partisan issues," said Donna Klein, CEO and Executive Chair of Corporate Voices. "As the wide diversity of this year's class shows, support for working parents can unite policymakers across ideological lines."

Applications were reviewed by a bipartisan steering committee co-chaired by Arianna Huffington, President and Editor?in?Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, and the Honorable Jane Swift, CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages and former Governor of Massachusetts.

"In our fast-paced, hyper-connected world, all of us need to find ways to ensure that our working lives and our personal lives interact in a healthier way," Arianna Huffington said. "By working to use policy to help make this happen, Congressman Yarmuth is fighting for solutions that will improve the lives of millions of Americans."

Other steering committee members are the Honorable Pat Schroeder, former Congresswoman from Colorado and former president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers; Ted Childs, Founder and Principal of Ted Childs, LLC; and Patricia Kempthorne, President of the Twiga Foundation.

The 2012 Best of Congress Awards program is supported by AOL, Abbott Nutrition, Accenture, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, the American Council of Life Insurers, Baxter International Inc., H-E-B, KPMG LLP, Walmart and Workplace Options.

TNS 61NF 120726-3965683 StaffFurigay