The beginning of a new legislative session is always an opportunity to explore new ideas, evaluate what is working and what needs to be changed. Our job is to spend the taxpayer's resources wisely and to ensure that South Carolina is prepared to move forward in the 21st century. Senate Republicans are ready to do that.

There has been a great deal of talk about the different approaches of the governor and the General Assembly, and whether we can work together. The truth is that governing is never free of conflict. The process works when ideas are fully debated and every angle is examined and the input of all South Carolinians is heard through their representatives.

Last year, citizens made it clear they wanted their property taxes reduced and their property rights protected. We worked together to make sure both of those things happened. We reduced the tax burden on small businesses and passed charter school reform that will ensure more innovative schools serve more children.

In spite of the differences of opinion that naturally occur in government, we accomplished a great deal last year, and we plan to do so again this year. South Carolinians are ready for real change, and the Senate majority understands that. We do not intend to fight that change, but rather to lead the way toward achieving it.

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While we have many goals and ideas for this session, one area that will be critical is economic development. That means making sure companies continue to thrive and create more jobs. It is not the job of government to grow the economy or tell companies how they should do business. The less of that we do, the better off our state will be. Rather, it is our role to create a positive climate for new businesses to relocate and for existing businesses to expand.

One way we can help South Carolina businesses is by reforming the workers' compensation system so that it is fair to both employees and employers. That will go a long way toward increasing our state's competitive edge. Currently, the system is costing small companies too much money and costing South Carolinians jobs, because rising premiums discourage new companies from moving to our state and force existing businesses to cut jobs. The system must be reformed, and we will explore the best way to do that this session.

There has also been a lot of discussion about restructuring South Carolina's government. We have some ideas about how to do that. Senate Republicans support restructuring, and some of us worked with former Gov. Campbell when he made the first substantive changes. We have already started the process to get restructuring on the ballot so South Carolinians can vote on how their government functions. Citizens who believe that change would make government more efficient and more accountable should get their chance to vote, and we in the Senate majority intend to give them that chance.

We will examine ways to make sure our education system is on the right path. Getting resources to the classroom and providing support for innovative ways to raise student achievement will be priorities for the Senate this year.