House votes to expand Michigan FOIA law
LANSING — The state House passed a package of bills Wednesday that for the first time in Michigan would subject the governor's office and the Legislature to state open records laws.
The Free Press reported in 2014 that Michigan was one of only two states in which both the governor and the Legislature have blanket exemptions from public records disclosure laws.
The bills — 10 in all — would expand the Michigan Freedom of Information Act to apply to the governor and his executive office staff and set up a new Legislative Open Records Act to apply to lawmakers and the Legislature.
"Without (open records) laws in place, the citizens have reason to be suspicious ... they have reason to have diminished trust in their government, in their leaders," Rep. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, told fellow lawmakers before the vote.
Read more: http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/21/michigan-foia-law-vote/90776346/
