WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, the Club for Growth announced that Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) earned the annual Defender of Economic Freedom award for 2007.  The award honors Members of Congress who have a strong voting record on economic growth issues. 

“Congresswoman Granger is a champion of the pro-growth agenda,” said Club for Growth president Pat Toomey.  “As one of 55 congressional members to earn this award, Congresswoman Granger demonstrates a strong commitment to economic freedom and free-market principles.”

The Club for Growth is the nation’s leading free-market advocacy organization with over 40,000 members. 

“It is an honor for me to receive this award,” said Granger.  “I am proud to support economic growth by doing all I can to keep taxes low. Being a former small business owner myself, I know the daily struggles of operating a business while continually trying to find ways to grow.”

The award is based on certain votes the Club for Growth tracks on its scorecard.  The study included a comprehensive examination of each lawmaker’s record on pro-growth policies and computed an Economic Growth Score on a scale of 1 to 100.  A score of 100 indicates the highest support for pro-growth policies.  Those lawmakers scoring 90 or higher receive the Defender of Economic Freedom award. 

“The scorecard is an important tool in providing the general public the opportunity to see how their representative and senators vote,” Mr. Toomey said.  “These bills promote economic growth and create more jobs for all Americans.  We hope that in each year to come, support for commonsense, economic principles will continue to grow, allowing more members to earn this award and more Americans to benefit.”