Chairman Brady Recognized by US Chamber for Advancing Economic Prosperity

Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) with its annual Spirit of Enterprise Award, given in recognition of Brady’s support for pro-growth policies in the first session of the 115th Congress.

“It’s a good time to be doing business in America, thanks to a slate of legislative accomplishments that laid the groundwork for more economic growth and job creation,”said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.“These efforts to advance commonsense, growth-oriented legislation will help Main Street American businesses thrive. We commend Congressman Brady for his commitment to promoting and protecting American free enterprise and economic prosperity.”

“With pro-growth policies coming out of Congress and The White House, and an economy that’s humming because of the President’s tax cuts, American businesses, families, and workers are reaping the benefits,” said Kevin Brady, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. “Helping local businesses achieve their goals for the betterment of the whole community is in my blood, and I’m proud to accept this award and to continue to work on their behalf.”

The Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Spirit of Enterprise Award is given annually to members of Congress based on their votes on critical business legislation as outlined in the Chamber’s How They Voted scorecard. Members who supported the Chamber’s position on at least 70 percent of those votes qualify to receive the award.

This is the 30th year that the U.S. Chamber has formally honored the accomplishments of this select group of members of Congress.

During the first session of the 115th Congress, the Chamber scored members on seven Senate votes, including those on tax reform legislation and the confirmation of Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch; and 14 House votes, including votes on tax reform legislation, access to Medicare, and lawsuit abuse. Various votes in support of small business were also scored.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Kevin Brady In Depth

Kevin is Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee – – considered by many to be the most powerful committee in Congress with jurisdiction over taxes, health care, Social Security, Medicare, international trade and welfare.

A champion of free enterprise and American-made energy, Kevin’s focus is creating jobs, reducing Washington spending and sunsetting obsolete federal agencies.

Kevin previously served as chairman of the influential Health Subcommittee for the House Ways and Means Committee. As chairman, he focused on ensuring a strong, free market in the nation’s health care industry and look for ways to increase the quality of health care, while keeping costs low.

And as the former Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, Kevin is a GOP leader.

Until 2013, Kevin was the leader of the Trade Subcommittee and led the successful effort to pass new sales agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia – and he served as the White House point man on the successful passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. On the Social Security Subcommittee, Kevin fought to preserve this important program for future generations once and for all.

Prior to his election to Congress, Kevin worked as a chamber of commerce executive for 18 years and served six years in the Texas House of Representatives where he was named one of the Ten Best Legislators for Families & Children. In 1994 he was named one of Five Outstanding Young Texans.

In order to stay close to the people he represents, Kevin never moved to Washington. He lives in Montgomery County with his wife Cathy and his two sons Will (18) and Sean (15) – and has logged nearly two million miles commuting to Congress each week.

Kevin is an original Hometown Hero of The Woodlands, a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary and a Distinguished Alumni of the University of South Dakota. He and his family attend Saints Simons and Jude Catholic Church.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Congressman Brady’s major legislative accomplishments include:

• Restoring the federal sales tax deduction which saves Texas taxpayers over $1 billion a year.
• Passing new trade agreements that have created new sales and thousands of new jobs for Texas workers in manufacturing, agriculture and technology.
• Passing the Teacher Liability Protection Act to protect teachers against frivolous lawsuits when they maintain order and discipline in the classroom.
• In the wake of 9-11, establishing a national network of university homeland security research centers to prevent and respond to future terrorist attacks, including the center at Texas A & M.
• Championing the Federal Sunset Act which forces agencies and programs to regularly prove their value to taxpayers or face elimination.
• Authoring the MAP Act which President Reagan’s former budget director lauded for its “smart spending caps and innovative guardrails.”
• Helping create the Texas Institute of Genomic Research, a cutting-edge research center that will accelerate new medical discoveries and create 5,000 new Texas jobs.
• Spearheading House efforts on Hurricane recovery in the wake of Rita and Ike.

AWARDS

In Congress, Kevin has been repeatedly named Hero-of-the-Taxpayers, Small Business Champion and Super-Friend of the Seniors. He has received the Golden Bulldog Award by Watchdogs of the Treasury, special recognition by Citizens Against Government Waste, and is a perennial winner of the Guardian of Small Business, Taxpayer Hero and Spirit of Enterprise awards.

Kevin has been honored as Outstanding Texas Political Leader-of-the-Year and Deep East Texas Legislator-of-the-Year and was recently named as having one of the Top Five Spending Cut Agendas on Capitol Hill.

Add to this list, today’s announcement of The Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Spirit of Enterprise Award.