Our previous legislative session was very successful and the people of South Carolina benefited from it. The tax burden on our citizens was reduced, private property rights were protected and many steps were taken to improve our state's economy. And on Tuesday, the 117th General Assembly will return to Columbia to continue working hard for our state's citizens.

A new year is upon us, elections are over, it is time for us to put partisan differences aside and put the needs of our state's citizens up front.

Our state has a workers' compensation system that is in desperate need of repair. Continuous double-digit rate increases and a second injury fund that has run out of control are beginning to hurt businesses. We are becoming less competitive with our neighbors, which is detrimental when it comes to recruiting new businesses to our state. We must take decisive actions that will result in the lowering of rates and the improvement of our business climate.

Lowering taxes, making it easier for our businesses to hire workers and grow their business, and improving the quality of life for our citizens are essential elements in creating a prosperous state. We can accomplish all this by nurturing our state's economy.

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In this new legislative session we must continue our work of advancing South Carolina's economy. One of the best ways to improve the lives of our citizens is to improve the economy in which we live. It is new industries, thriving business communities and educated minds that make a community work. That is what we are trying to build on here.

We are already off to a good start. In the last few months there have been many bills pre-filed that will help us accomplish this goal for our citizens, particularly two bills that deal with the development of a new industry and the development of great minds.

Our nation is overly dependent on foreign oil and we need to do something about it. Developing an industry around a viable alternative fuel will be like developing a new Silicon Valley. In the coming decade hydrogen technology is expected to be an over $2.6 trillion industry. With our state's hydrogen resources at Savannah River Site, University of South Carolina, Clemson and South Carolina State University, we have an excellent opportunity to be a major leader in this field.

In December, we pre-filed legislation aimed at getting the private sector more involved in this movement. It will take major companies, locating here and operating here, for us to take the next big step. This plan is centered around two things, developing a clean alternative fuel and creating jobs for our citizens. It is the challenge of our generation to do something about our dependence on foreign oil, and I believe South Carolina can make a huge contribution to that effort.

There has been a great push lately for our state to develop a knowledge-based economy. You can help develop many aspects of a high-tech industry but it will not be a success unless you have the manpower to run it. Our children have the talent and the ability to inherit such an economy but we need to guide them toward this goal.

We need to increase the opportunities our state's students have to contribute to tomorrow's knowledge-based economy. That means we needed to focus on math, science and engineering fields. Over the last 10 years, our state has fallen behind our neighbors when it comes to students majoring in those areas. To help gain ground we need incentives that would help our best and brightest choose to pursue careers in these fields.

In a plan we unveiled before session, we do just that by utilizing our state's LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships. Students majoring in the math and science fields will receive a substantial increase in their LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarship. More students will be receiving an education that will translate into a high-paying job in tomorrow's knowledge-based economy.

Helping to foster a knowledge-based economy that is run by our state's best and brightest minds should be a major focus of this legislative session. If we want our state to be a player in the global market we must not hesitate, because it will be our children and our grandchildren who will benefit from this new knowledge-based economy we are trying to create for them.

These are just a few of the important issues the General Assembly will be debating this year. I, along with the other members of the Legislature, thank the people of South Carolina for the great honor they have bestowed upon us by allowing us to be your representatives in the General Assembly, and hope that our service will lead to the betterment of our state.

Post a Comment   View All Comments CMC761 That's amazing. I had no idea healthcare costs in SC were so high. At my last employer, I was in a health fund that was a lot cheaper. But then again, I don't abuse the system or make lots of claims. The place before that had BC/BS and AFLAC for dental and everything else. On dental, AFLAC has a deal for free basic screenings but does not cover fillings for 6 months. By then they have over $180 coming in. If you got screened after the policy started and got fillings filled, you had to pay for them. By the time the real policy kicked in, you had already covered for AFLAC. What a racket. As to hydrogen, that is a very long way off. There are technologies that are here and now that should be pushed in a big way. Plug-in hybrids using biodiesel or flexfuel are the way to go. Prius owners have to violate their warranty to go plug-in and GM has only recently announced they will have a plug-in in the future. Why isn't ICAR working on this considering its potential? So far ICAR is looking like a starter Clemson research program and a real estate scheme. Those of us unemployed techs are wondering, where's the beef? As to engineering cluster, civil/architectural (buildings), electrical (wiring same) are doing well here but computer/electronics isn't doing that hot. But then again, a lot of that has been offshored. Even in Huntsville, AL (where I'm from) the military electronics sector is doing well but commercial electronics is not. (and this is in an area that was once considered competitive with Research Triangle, NC) Plug-in hybrids (either fuel) would help electrical/electronic/computer engineering technologies greatly. So why the delay and why can't ICAR work on these things in addition to hydrigen? CMC761 Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:50 pm the Writer Cost of healthcare insurance that no one thinks about until they move somewhere else. I worked for a company here in Greenville and chose to have an HMO as my insurance. I was transferred to San Francisco, where I, again chose an HMO for my insurance. Keep in mind that, at that time, according to USA Today, a 2,000 square foot house in Greenville, that cost $250,000 would, in San Francisco, cost $950,000. So, I expected that same range of increase for health care insurance. Imagine my shock and disbelief when my payment was less than half of my Greenville insurance payment. I actually called HR to see if there had been a mistake. It would have been easy to ignore the difference if I had changed employers. But, it was the same employer and the same HR negotiators for both cases. I was just so happy to have lower insurance premiums that I never researched the reasons. the Writer Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:59 pm Pawmetto Mr Harrell Our state faces a crisis in healthcare insurance affordability.We have an estimated 1 million plus of uninsured South Carolinians! I market group healthcare policies to small businesses in our fair state. Along with cutting worker's comp premiums, we should also address the cost of affordable health insurance for all businesses. On lottery scholarships, we must increase funding for ALL students, not just math and science majors. We sorely lag behind our neighbor, the old North state-NC-who spends an average of $12000 on ea college student in all majors. Just some food for thought sir. Pawmetto Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:12 am Post a Comment   View All Comments