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Michigan public record advocates unveil details of ballot proposal
By David Eggert
LANSING, Mich. - Advocates for open government on Tuesday unveiled the specifics of their ballot proposal that would open Michigan’s governor and lawmakers to public-records requests.
Protesters are expected at the Michigan State Capitol and lawmakers have opted to cancel next week s session out of an abundance of caution.
The state is one of only two to wholly exempt the governor’s office from the Freedom of Information Act and among eight where legislators are explicitly exempt.
The liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan will have to collect about 340,000 valid voter signatures to send the bill to the Republican-led Legislature, which could make it law or let the measure go to voters in November 2022.
Group details ballot bill to open Michigan goveror, lawmakers to FOIA fox17online.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fox17online.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FOIA requests, often just referred to as FOIAs, are tools commonly used by journalists and others to access information from public agencies, like city councils, police departments and other agencies. This information can include prior financial records, documents, even emails between public officials.
FOIA coordination and cooperation is often seen as a measure of government transparency, something Michigan has been subject to criticism for. Michigan is one of only a few states whose governor and Legislature are exempt to FOIA laws.
The Progress Michigan initiative would place those two bodies to the same FOIA standards as other agencies and committees.
Group details ballot bill to open gov, lawmakers to FOIA
By DAVID EGGERT
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) Advocates for open government on Tuesday unveiled the specifics of their ballot proposal that would open Michigan s governor and lawmakers to public-records requests.
The state is one of only two to wholly exempt the governor s office from the Freedom of Information Act and among eight where legislators are explicitly exempt. The liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan will have to collect about 340,000 valid voter signatures to send the bill to the Republican-led Legislature, which could make it law or let the measure go to voters in November 2022.