Washington, May 3, 2016 - Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) was presented last week with the American Conservative Union (ACU) Award for Conservative Excellence by ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. Rep. Graves received the award based on his score of 91/100 as part of ACU’s Annual Rating of Congress. The award is given only to those members of the House and Senate who scored 80 percent or above on a wide variety of issues, which are areas of concern for grassroots conservatives and were voted on during the first session of the 114th Congress.

“I believe the rights enshrined in the Constitution of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ are God-given,” said Rep. Graves. “These rights guide my work in Congress and are the foundation of my conservative beliefs. That means voting to empower people, to promote individual freedom, and to create an environment where each person can work hard and achieve their American Dream.”

“For 45 years, our ACU Ratings have been considered the gold standard in determining a Member of Congress’ courage to stand up to big government liberals and to stand strongly in favor of policy positions important to conservatives,” said ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. “Our award-winning Senators and Congressmen are fighting to protect life, liberty and property; the rights the Framers understood were critical to maintaining a free society. Tom Graves knows how important it is to fight for conservative principles, and always handles the debate on ideas with respect and grace. We are pleased to honor his record and encourage him to keep up the fight.”

(ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp presents Rep. Graves with the Award for Conservative Excellence, April 26, 2016)

Since 1971, the nation’s oldest grassroots conservative organization has annually graded members of Congress based on their votes on issues important to conservatives. The full guide is now available at www.conservative.org/ratings

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