by Scott McClallen
Michigan lawmakers introduced an ethics reform package during Sunshine Week, a seven-day promotion of government transparency.
The package would require more transparency from lawmakers and bolster the Freedom of Information Act.
“During Sunshine Week we celebrate the laws that keep our government open and accountable,” Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Twp, said in a statement. “I cannot think of a better time to announce a plan that will strengthen those laws and make elected leaders and government workers more transparent and accountable to the people.”
The plan contains four measures focused on ethics, including requiring more detailed campaign finance reports, banning lobbyist-sponsored travel, and prohibiting paying family members with campaign money.
House Bills (HB) 5921, 5928, and 5929 aim to:
- Create stricter ethical standards for officials and candidates: Lobbyists would be banned from sponsoring travel or lodging for legislators. A political candidate’s immediate family members will be banned from receiving payments from campaign accounts.
- Increase transparency surrounding lobbyists and campaign spending: Lobbyists would have to disclose money spent on partisan legislative staff. Detailed descriptions of campaign expenditures and disbursements will be required and made available to the public on the Secretary of State’s website.
House Bills 5921, 5922, 5923, 5924, 5925 aim to ease FOIA access for public records requests:
- Public bodies would have to: publicly post the name and contact information of their FOIA coordinator, accept electronic payments for documents requested, and acknowledge that a record exists even if it is exempt from FOIA.
- If a FOIA request is denied, the plan would require a public body to state all reasons for denial at that time. It also clarifies that a public body cannot shield documents from FOIA by handing them over to legal counsel.
The bills will be referred to the House committees on Oversight and Elections and Ethics.
The new package targets the strategy of ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican, who is accused of sexually abusing his sister-in-law and giving $300,000 bonuses to family, staffers, and companies run by them.
Chatfield’s alleged secrets weren’t publicly known until the sexual abuse allegation. But even after, it’s challenging to track because of Michigan’s lax transparency laws for lawmakers. Chatfield raised millions, traveled frequently, and likely spent money from a range of Political Action Committees (PACS).
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
