WASHINGTON DC _ The American Conservative Union Foundation (ACU) awarded Tennessee State Rep. Marc Gravitt earlier this week with the “Award for Conservative Excellence” for his commitment to upholding conservative principles during the 2015 General Assembly. Rep. Gravitt achieved a 92% rating on the 2015 ACU scorecard. The ceremony was held at the Tennessee State Capitol’s Legislative Library and featured remarks from Speaker Beth Harwell (100% ACU Rating), Majority Whip Timothy Hill (92% ACU Rating), ACU Executive Director Dan Schneider, and ACU Vice Chairman Carolyn Meadows.  
 
“It was an honor to recognize Rep. Marc Gravitt with an ACU Award for Conservative Excellence,” said Schneider.  “Other groups that rate legislators focus on a single issue, like guns or tax policy.  ACU’s ratings are unique in the sense that they are the only means of determining if a legislator is a full-spectrum conservative who has stood up for Ronald Reagan’s vision for economic opportunity, transparency in government, and a strong culture based on traditional values.   Earning our award means that Rep. Marc Gravitt stood for the principles that make America the world’s best hope for freedom for all,” added Schneider.   
 
ACU aims to educate voters about how closely their elected officials adhere to the ideas of America’s founding, and how their elected officials compare to other across the country by rating all 50 state legislatures.  ACU researches and selects a wide range of bills that reflect a member’s adherence to conservative principles. We select bills that focus on former President Ronald Reagan’s philosophy of the “three-legged stool”: 1) economic: taxes, budgets, regulation, spending, healthcare, and property; 2) social and cultural: 2nd Amendment, religious freedom, life, welfare, and education; and 3) government integrity: voting, individual liberty, privacy, and transparency.
 
During this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Tennessee was recognized for having the most conservative legislature in the country.  This is the first year that the ACU presented the “We the People” award for the most conservative state legislature. Tennessee had an overall average of 80.5% with the second most conservative state, Idaho, averaging 73%.  Remarkably, every Republican leader in the Tennessee legislature earned the Award for Conservative Excellence, the only legislature in the country whose leadership achieved such high marks.  For more information and to learn more about the ACU Ratings visit: http://acuratings.conservative.org/.