Common Blog – 6/9/2016

   Yesterday, Long Island voters and representatives of Common Cause New York, Move-On.org, Jobs with Justice, Long Island Progressive Coalition, and Long Island Civic Engagement Table outside Senate Majority Leader John Flannigan’s Smithtown district office protested Senate Republicans’ refusal to close the state’s LLC Loophole. According to analysis by Common Cause NY, this loophole has permitted the combined Republican Senate Committees to collect over $16 million in campaign contributions over the past ten years. The passage of Senate Bill S60B would close the LLC Loophole and serve as a major step toward increased transparency and accountability in election campaigns. Senator Flanagan, however, has prevented the bill from reaching the Senate floor and thus stood in the way of meaningful reform.

   As a summer intern, I was especially excited to be a part of the protest and to voice my desire for a more fair government. The many organizations in attendance impressed me in their coordination and unified message. As a young voter, I am inundated with rhetoric about major elections of politicians and am comforted to know that collaborative institutions exist to keep those politicians in check once they enter office. The protest was quite successful; it was swift, well organized, and covered by local media outlets whose audience is Senator Flannigan’s constituents. With only four session days left to push the bill through, I hope that our efforts materialize and bring the senator to action.