First elected to the New York State Senate in a Special Election in February 2002, Liz Krueger is currently the Ranking Member of Senate Finance Committee. She is also a member of five other committees: Elections; Higher Education; Housing, Construction and Community Development; Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities; and Rules. Sen. Krueger is a strong advocate for tenants’ rights, affordable housing, improved access to health care and prescription drug coverage, social services, more equitable funding for public education, and animal welfare. She has made reforming and modernizing New York State’s governmental processes, electoral system, and tax policy central goals of her legislative agenda. Sen. Krueger is a founding co-chair of the New York State Bipartisan Legislative Pro-Choice Caucus, and has led on women's health and reproductive choice since her first term in the Senate, when she was a leader in the successful fight to pass the Women’s Health and Wellness Act. Sen. Krueger’s legislative initiatives include protecting and expanding affordable housing for New Yorkers, protecting New York's environment and public health from threats such as hydraulic fracturing for natural gas ("hydrofracking"), and expanding access to food stamps and safety net assistance for needy families and individuals.