But what if the states took the the initiative to limit the impact of Citizens United by passing their own laws to change the way corporations are defined?

That is the purpose of Senate Bill 2471, which would emphasize that corporations are “artificial persons” created by state law and granted powers and privileges by it — something SB 2471 points out is already part of Hawaiʻi’s constitution.

The bill would make clear that the powers of corporations do not include spending money or contributing “anything of value” to influence elections or ballot measures, as the bill’s language explains.

That could directly challenge the ability of super PACs to raise unlimited money and keep their sources of funding secret.