House Introduces Open Records Legislation

Liz Gullett

Feb 03, 2017

This week an eleven-bill bipartisan package was introduced with the goal of increasing transparency in the executive and legislative branches. Under the proposal, the executive branch would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the legislative branch would be subjected to a new, similar act, named the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA). The package allows for exceptions, including letters to and from constituents, human resource files, and ongoing legislative investigations or lawsuits. The bills have been sent to the House Michigan Competitiveness Committee for consideration.

“Last year, the House passed similar legislation but it failed to receive approval from the Senate. Transparency at all levels of government is a hot topic nationally, so having this serve as a priority in Michigan isn’t surprising,” stated Brendan Ringlever of MLC.

Michigan is one of only two states that excludes the executive and legislative branches from this type of disclosure.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.