Congressman Cardin Wins Prestigious Business Award.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Congressman Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) received the 2005 Congressional Award from the Small Business Council of America (SBCA) at the U.S. Capitol last night for his outstanding leadership on behalf of small businesses. The Congressman, a member of the Ways & Means Committee, was honored by the SBCA particularly for his work in promoting retirement plans for small businesses which has provided millions of small business employees with increased retirement security.

"Congressman Cardin understands that small businesses are the key to jobs and our nation's economic growth. He understands our problems and has worked tirelessly to make it easier for small businesses to succeed and to provide employees with the benefits they deserve. Ben Cardin is able to get things done in Congress - he can work on a bipartisan basis and he understands the tax code. Every major retirement plan bill passed by the House of the Representatives during the last ten years is known as Portman-Cardin legislation," said Paula Calimafde, Chair of the SBCA.

In his remarks, Ben Cardin said: "I am proud to have helped bring retirement security to so many small businesses. Retirement security is important to both small business owners and their employees. Small businesses are the key to a thriving national economy. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, I have been able to work with my colleagues to help small businesses by reducing their tax and administrative burdens and by simplifying the tax code."

The Small Business Council of America is a national organization whose sole purpose is to represent the interests of small businesses and family owned businesses in federal income and estate tax, health care, retirement plans and other employee benefit concerns. The SBCA, through its members, represents well over 20,000 enterprises in retail, manufacturing and service industries, the vast majority of which are successful businesses. The SBCA supports legislation which creates important economic incentives, and opposes burdensome and oppressive laws and proposals.

Other award winners this year included Senators Susan Collins and Blanche Lincoln and Congressman James Boehner. Mary Frances LeMat, CEO of Social Scientific Systems, Inc. located in Silver Spring, MD, received the 2005 SBCA Humanitarian Award for her tireless efforts in working for charitable causes while at the same time being the CEO of one of Montgomery County's leading businesses which is itself involved in humanitarian work. Kelly Paul, President and CEO of The Marketing Department, Inc. of Savannah, Georgia, was named the SBCA Small Business Person of 2005.