Republican Senator Scott Brown's office just released a statement from the Massachusetts Senator saying that he will support the Financial Reform bill currently being worked on in Congress.

"I've spent the past week reviewing the Wall Street reform bill. I appreciate the efforts to improve the bill, especially the removal of the $19 billion bank tax. As a result, it is a better bill than it was when this whole process started. While it isn't perfect, I expect to support the bill when it comes up for a vote. It includes safeguards to help prevent another financial meltdown, ensures that consumers are protected, and it is paid for without new taxes. That doesn't mean our work is done. Further reforms are still needed to address the government's role in the financial crisis, including significant changes to the way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate."

Democrats still need two more votes in the Senate to pass the legislation, but it seems more and more certain that the bill will pass.  Republican Senator's Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins from Maine are expected to be the final two votes for the much needed reform.  None of this would have been so grueling had West Virginia's Democratic Senator Robert C. Byrd not died recently, although his death obviously didn't take the bill with him so to speak, it did extend the time its taking to actually get it passed.  And while no one is claiming that financial reform in it's current form will eliminate the risk of collapses in the future, it's a decent step toward curbing the greed that nearly destroyed us.

Critics say that 'Too Big to Fail' hasn't been addressed in the bill and the removal of the bank tax keeps the tax payer on the hook for future private shenanigans.  Some Republicans are also upset that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae aren't being addressed in the legislation, although most lawmakers say they prefer to tackle those boondoggles with separate legislation considering how large and complex the organizations are, as well as their problems.