Earlier this month, Rep. Dan Cooper, Chairman of the S.C. House Ways and Means Committee, was honored by the South Carolina Association of Convenience Stores (SCACS) as the organization's legislator of the year for 2009. The award presented to Chairman Cooper was the first of its kind presented by SCACS to a member of the state General Assembly.

David Jordan, president of SCACS says that Cooper was selected for the award because of long-standing support for small business in South Carolina and most notably his staunch opposition to raising taxes.

"Our members owe Chairman Cooper a debt of gratitude for his stalwart support of small business and this award was a small token of our appreciation for his outstanding public service," he adds.

(Below, leaders from the S.C. Association of Convenience Stores present Rep. Dan Cooper (l) with their 2009 Legislator of the Year award).