Dems: Courser/Gamrat Scandal Shows Need to Subject Governor, Lawmakers to FOIA
Democrats want FOIA to be released so residents of Michigan know what’s going on in their state government.
Democrats say recent expulsion hearings for Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat highlight the need to subject the governor and lawmakers to public information requests. They’re renewing their push to end those exemptions in Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
“There have been so many issues where people have wanted to see what’s been going on in their state government and haven’t been allowed to do that here in Michigan,” said state Rep. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield).
“It’s only more timely now that there was such a lag in the release of this Courser/Gamrat report, that nobody knew what was in it and then all of the sudden we had just a few days to read 833 pages.”
Moss signed on as a co-sponsor of House Bill 4283 earlier this year. That bill would end FOIA exemptions for the governor and state legislators.
Some lawmakers say they’re concerned about keeping constituents’ personal information private if the Legislature is subject to FOIA.
Click below to see the bill:
http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.
