This past week marked the seventh anniversary of Citizens United, the catastrophic decision by the United States Supreme Court that declared “money is speech” and in so doing exposed our politics to a deluge of special interest and lobbyist cash.

Citizens United told the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations that politics could be their plaything; that Democracy could be bought, for the right price. By removing any limits on the amount of money that could be spent on elections, the decision put our politics on sale to the highest bidder.

The new legislative session has begun and legislators have received their committee assignments. I am pleased to have been appointed by the Senate president to serve on the Taxation Committee. As the ranking senator on the committee, I will provide leadership role in crafting responsible tax policy working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
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The committee will play a very important role this session as we work on policy regarding taxes, tax credits, property valuation and assessment, plus municipal revenue sharing – the mechanism by which state funds get sent back down to our local communities to pay for things such as public works and public safety.