LANSING — Today, House Bills 4007-4013 and 4015-4016 were passed unanimously by the House and now head to the Senate for consideration. The bipartisan package, which aims to increase accountability and address Michigan’s last-in-the-nation ranking for transparency in government, will open the governor’s office up to the Freedom of Information Act and subject the Legislature to a new Legislative Open Records Act. In response to its passage, House Democratic Leader Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills), issued the following statement:
“Good government should be accountable to the people, yet until now the people of our state have been robbed of one of their most important accountability measures. This long overdue package will finally help shed light on the inner workings of our state government, and allow Michiganders to better understand who is truly working for them, and how their tax dollars are being spent. The passage of this package today speaks to the bipartisan spirit of cooperation we’ve been working hard to foster in the House, and I hope to see that same spirit prevail in the Senate, so this can move quickly through their chamber and onto the governor’s desk to be signed into law.”