House Passes FOIA Expansion

Liz Gullett

Sep 23, 2016

This week, the House passed a ten-bill package creating the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA) which would include certain records from the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and the legislature under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The package would mirror existing FOIA rules and processes, however it prevents the judiciary from getting involved in legislative operations in order to keep separation of powers in place. To allow for appeals, LORA will use a non-partisan review of disputes by the Legislative Council Administrator. Unlike, FOIA, this won’t require citizens to pay significant court and attorney fees to appeal an unreasonable fee or denial of their request. The bill also excludes certain records from LORA, including pardons and commutations, executive budget recommendations, constituent communications, and human resource files.

The bills will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

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.