Walking into the state Senate for the 1st time, I couldn’t have possibly understood all of the intricate inner workings of the budget process.

To one side, the state never seemed to have enough money to meet its needs.

To the other, the legislature wasted money on wants rather than needs.

The regular fights between the legislature and a stingy governor were real.

I listened to the people who elected me. I talked with policy makers. I learned from their opinions. I studied the issues. And I concluded that we had a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Even worse, much of that excessive spending was hidden from the taxpayers who paid for it.

My 1st bill required legislators to disclose earmarks, their efforts to “bring home the bacon” to justify their jobs. I wanted them to explain the projects they sought money for and how much those projects would cost. I wanted taxpayers to see how the legislature was spending their money.

I was naïve in challenging the status quo. Not surprisingly, my bill went nowhere.

OTHER SENATORS joined me again the next year. We gained momentum and the bill passed the Senate but stalled in the House. A victory but momentum was lost.

I’ve voted against the budget more often than for it. My “no” votes are because the legislature spends too much money or fails to prioritize our needs appropriately.

I still fight to remove earmarks for local parks, swimming pools, museums, and legislators’ favorite non-profits. – the ones that can be found anyway.

I’m no fan of spending state taxpayer dollars on local pet projects. It’s worse when those projects are hidden in the budget.

Changing the status quo is frustrating. It happens in increments, a newly-elected legislator at a time. But the old way of doing things can change for the better if we’re persistent, have the right leadership, and have a strong team to fight with us.

SENATE REPUBLICANS elected me as the Majority Leader in 2016. Several new senators have joined the body since then. In November, voters sent 30 Republicans to the SC Senate, the largest number ever.

When the General Assembly began its new session Jan. 12, the Senate adopted a new rule requiring senators to disclose their earmark requests, to identify the project, and to publish the cost.

That forces senators to vote on the projects’ value and, more importantly, show you how your money is spent.

This change will not solve every problem. But it will absolutely lead to more responsible spending your tax money.

I’m grateful to lead a strong team of Republican senators, and I am proud that this important change finally occurred. The strategy may have changed, and it may have taken longer than I expected when I walked into the Senate that first day, but the goal never wavered. We got it done, and South Carolina will be better because of it.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey represents western Lexington County in the legislature.