Currently, Michigan is one of the only states that exempts the governor’s office and legislature from FOIA and even if the bills became law, they create a series of exemptions for the denial of requests that other state agencies don’t have.
Freedom of Information Act
A new online system for processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the Department of Elections was unveiled Tuesday by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Dozens of bills aimed at boosting ethics, transparency and financial disclosure laws have been introduced in the Legislature this year from both parties, with lawmakers making the case that their respective bills would give Michiganders the most access to state government.
Mark Brewer, longtime Michigan elections lawyer and former Michigan Democratic Party chair, told the Advance Tuesday that a new ballot initiative expanding the state’s 1976 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) represents the best opportunity yet to achieve significant transparency.
Transparency and accountability have been buzzwords on both sides of the aisle in Michigan. Michigan scored an F in the Center for Public Integrity’s 2015 State Integrity Investigation and ranked worst in the country for state government accountability and transparency. Since then, dozens of measures have been introduced, but many haven’t been signed into law.