(Washington, D.C.) — The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today congratulated Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) for receiving the Taxpayer Superhero Award for his 2002 CCAGW vote rating of 100 percent.  Only eight members of Congress received the prestigious award this year.

“Rep. Hefley has demonstrated a strong commitment to taxpayers and fiscal responsibility,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “In an era of escalating budget deficits and a disregard for fiscal accountability, Rep. Hefley has risen above the fray.  CCAGW commends him for his efforts to cut government waste on behalf of taxpayers across the country.”

CCAGW publishes its annual Congressional Ratings to provide a comprehensive look at waste votes during each session of Congress.  In its 2002 Congressional Ratings, CCAGW examined 24 key House and 16 key Senate votes in the second session of the 107^th Congress that had the potential of saving taxpayers billions of dollars and bringing the federal budget back in line.  In this edition of the ratings, CCAGW examined everything from taxpayer protection and Internal Revenue Service accountability, to coral reef mapping off the cost of Hawaii, to permanent repeal of the death tax in order to determine where each member stands when it comes to spending Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars.

The eight House members who achieved a perfect 100 percent for their votes in 2002 were: Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.), Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.).

CCAGW’s nonpartisan approach to its Congressional Ratings includes a review by the organization’s Board of Governors, a bipartisan group of current and former elected officials.  Nearly all votes considered were the subject of letters to Congress notifying members that CCAGW would consider that vote in its annual ratings.  Other votes reflect long-standing and well-known CCAGW positions.

“CCAGW praises Rep. Hefley for his leadership in cutting unnecessary spending,” Schatz concluded.  “Other elected officials need to follow suit in order to restore fiscal discipline to Capitol Hill, and taxpayers should encourage them to improve their ratings score.”

To view a full list of the ratings and votes, visit: /site/PageServer?pagename=Ratings_Intro.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.