WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation (NRF) has named U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) their Legislator of the Year for his work in Congress on behalf of small businesses. NRF also honored Rep. John Kline (R-MN) for his work to support the retail industry, which supports over one million jobs in Virginia and one in four U.S. jobs.

“I’m very honored to receive NRF’s recognition as Legislator of the Year ,” Sen. Warner said. “The retail industry plays an incredibly important role in job creation and economic development in Virginia, and I’ve continuously supported Main Street businesses and promoted fairness in the marketplace to help the Commonwealth’s small businesses grow and compete. What’s good for Main Street is good for the Commonwealth. Retailers also have been great partners in my efforts to protect consumer financial information following the Target data breach, and the NRF has supported our efforts to improve the Affordable Care Act by easing its regulatory and paperwork burdens on small business owners.”

“The National Retail Federation congratulates Senator Mark Warner on this well-deserved recognition by the NRF Policy Council,” National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Senator Warner is a solution-focused lawmaker who has attempted to address some of the most difficult and pressing issues facing our nation’s retailers. In particular we appreciate the Senator’s thoughtful work on data and payment security. On behalf of the nation’s retailers, we congratulate Senator Warner for being named Legislator of the Year.”

Sen. Warner supports patent reform, cosponsored the Marketplace Fairness Act, and is a lead sponsor of efforts to fix problems identified during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, Sen. Warner recently worked with NRF to establish an information sharing platform that allows the retail industry to better protect consumer financial information from data breaches like the one that hit Target and other major retailers last winter.