transparency

A bill to make state records easier to find is working its way through the Michigan House of Representatives.State agencies frequently release reports to the Legislature. But state Representative Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Twp) said they’re sometimes hard to find since each agency has its own system for handling them and posting them online.

Michigan's new political transparency portal has been delayed by nearly a year. Emails obtained by Bridge Michigan indicate growing tensions between state officials and the contractor hired to build the system.

A bill to increase transparency in the Michigan budget process has passed out of the state Senate, but lawmakers across the aisle want to see more.

The House Oversight Committee fired questions at Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over problems with the state's legally required financial disclosure process.

The state’s financial disclosure portal for lobbyists and lawmakers has been riddled with malfunctions that made it difficult for filers and the public to use.

The legislation would require lawmakers to publicly submit spending requests for the upcoming budget by April each year.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed bills Wednesday to give state officials another month to file financial disclosure reports as the state tries to fix its filing website.

A ballot campaign wants to make Michigan a ranked choice voting state; plus nearly 800 earmark requests from state House lawmakers totaling an estimated $4 billion are made public.

A group of House Democrats met in Lansing to discuss their plan and support for the BRITE bill package. The package aims to increase transparency and accountability for election officials, particularly regarding campaign finances and gifts or expenditures as public officials.

Under the bills, lawmakers, statewide elected officials, and department heads would have to wait at least two years after their term to become a lobbyist.