Rep. Lucas Honored As 'Hero of the Taxpayer'

HEADLINE: REP. LUCAS HONORED AS 'HERO OF THE TAXPAYER'

BYLINE: States News Service

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:
The office of Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., issued the following press release:

U.S. Third District Rep. Frank Lucas has been recognized by a tax reform group for consistently voting in favor of taxpayers during the 2003 congressional year.

Americans for Tax Reform named Lucas a "Hero of the Taxpayer" for voting in the interest of taxpayers on tax-related votes that Congress considered last year. The national taxpayer advocacy group recognized members of Congress with ratings of 85 percent or higher.

"I am honored to receive this award," Lucas said. "My colleagues and I have worked to provide tax relief for hard-working Americans. I believe that since American taxpayers earned the money, they deserve to keep it. I'll continue to work to give taxpayers more of the money they earned to improve the lives of their families."

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said tax payers need the help of leaders like Frank Lucas.

"Politics in Washington is a continuing battle between taxpayers and the special interest spending lobbies on Capitol Hill who want to steal more of the taxpayers' money to spend on their projects" Norquist said. "And when members of Congress come to Washington, they have to choose sides. Rep. Lucas has chosen wisely to side with American taxpayers."

Lucas voted last year to permanently repeal the death tax and to enact the Jobs and Growth Tax Reconciliation Act, the most significant tax cut to American taxpayers in over twenty years. The Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act awaits approval in the Senate while the Jobs and Growth Tax Reconciliation Act was signed into law by President Bush on May 28, 2003.