Ronald Reagan said many times that he was continually inspired by the flame that exists in the heart of Americans for entrepreneurship and a free market system.

Small businesses are the backbone of this country, providing more than two-thirds of the new jobs in the United States. Entrepreneurs and small businesses represent the momentum of American job growth and are vital to continued economic recovery.

This week we celebrate National Small Business Week in recognition of small business employers, employees and their accomplishments for America.

At a luncheon ceremony, President Bush and the U.S. Small Business Administration honored the nation’s top entrepreneurs for their stellar leadership. Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence as the leader of America’s most dynamic research and development partnership between a federal contractor and a small business subcontractor.

As I travel throughout the Tennessee Valley, I have the honor of witnessing firsthand how the spirit of innovation and modern research go hand-in-hand to produce technologies and processes that were only a dream a decade ago.

Eagle’s Landing Transcription Service in Johnson City takes a unique approach to cataloging patient records so doctors can recall medical history in a faster, more reliable way. CEO Elisa Comer, Tennessee’s Small Business Person of the Year for 2005, began the company in her laundry room in 1999. Comer now manages over 37 employees and subcontractors who electronically transcribe dictation and format chart information.

Chattanooga’s eSpin Technologies Incorporated and its nanotechnology spinning process are making technological breakthroughs in the aerospace, health care, energy storage and filtration industries. Nanofibers, which are 1000 times smaller than a human hair, have opened the doors for new possibilities in developing and traditional manufacturing companies. CEO and President Jay Doshi and his team of highly-skilled employees are partnered with many global and Fortune 500 companies.

Successes such as these are making themselves known around the region.

David McKin of Specialized Enterprises Incorporated recently outlined his plan to bring a state-of-the-art homeland security training facility to the Tennessee Valley. This complex would train homeland security professionals and educate industry personnel to combat the growing threat of industrial terrorism, which impacts our railroads, water supply chains, agriculture and chemical plants.

McKin said the Tennessee Valley is attractive because we have a technology base to support such a facility, demonstrating that the Tennessee Valley Corridor has emerged as a national leader in economic development through advancement in technology.

My family has been engaged in small business for generations in the construction, real estate and architectural trades. We have experienced the triumph of small achievements and the frustration of excessive litigation, taxation and regulation.

In Congress, I support policies that foster competition, free markets and responsible capitalism. Our laws should reward initiative and hard work. America will thrive as our small businesses succeed.

Just this year, the House of Representatives and I have voted to permanently eliminate the “death” tax so that families from the farm to the town market are encouraged to save and invest without paying “Uncle Sam” another fee to leave the earth.

We also passed and President Bush signed into law the Class Action Fairness Act to unclog certain ‘magnet’ state courts of interstate class actions, which is estimated to save U.S. small businesses around $88 billion a year.

Recently, I introduced a bill called the WHIP Act – the Workforce Health Improvement Program - that would help small businesses lower their health care costs and incentivize a healthier and more productive workforce.

Companies with fit and healthy employees experience fewer medical claims, resulting in reduced insurance costs that range from $80 to $500 per enrollee per year.

In Washington, we can help alleviate the obstacles that hold back the small businessman.

In East Tennessee, we are proud of the national award winners who are demonstrating proven leadership in excellence and innovation.

As we congratulate the “best and brightest,” let’s recommit ourselves to the cause of entrepreneurship and encourage the advancement of small business across America.