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Tag: Michigan Senate

  • Michigan Senate finally passes bills to expand FOIA to governor and Legislature

    Michigan Senate finally passes bills to expand FOIA to governor and Legislature

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    Michigan is one of only two states that shields the governor’s office and the Legislature from providing records under the Freedom of Information Act.

    That could soon change after the state Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding FOIA to include the executive and legislative branches of state government.

    Lawmakers approved the two bills by a 36-2 vote, with Sens. Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon, and Jonathan Lindsey, R-Allen, voting against the legislation.

    It has been a long time coming. Sens. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, and Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, first introduced the bills nine years ago while they were in the state House.

    Finally, the bills are headed to the state House for a vote. But the legislation will have to wait until the House comes back from its summer break.

    “We can no longer sustain any more scandals in Lansing that are made possible by the dark areas in law in which they can exist,” Moss said in a statement. “We have finally reached the elusive Senate vote to expand FOIA and our majority is beginning a new chapter of openness in our state.”

    If passed by the House, as expected, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will likely sign the bills into law. When she was running for her first term in 2018, Whitmer said expanding FOIA would be a priority.

    McBroom said the legislation will shine more light on elected officials.

    “There are many ways to help our state government be more accountable and this is one that should have been in place years ago,” McBroom said. “I hope we will get this passed and keep working to put the citizens first in how the government actually operates.”

    The governor and Legislature have been exempt from FOIA since the law was enacted in 1976.

    Michigan and Massachusetts are the only states in the country that allow the governor’s office and Legislature to bypass FOIA.

    Michigan’s state government faces significant trust issues with voters and was ranked last in the nation for integrity in a 2015 report from the Center For Public Integrity.

    In November 2022, after state lawmakers failed to act, Michigan voters approved a measure that created new financial disclosure requirements for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state lawmakers. Under Proposal 1, state elected officials are required to file annual reports detailing their assets and sources of income, positions held outside of state government, and agreements or arrangements regarding future employment, gifts, and travel payments received.

    State lawmakers said the FOIA legislation is an important step in restoring trust with voters.

    “The passage of this bipartisan legislation demonstrates our staunch commitment to increasing government transparency and accountability, and in turn, restoring public trust in our institutions,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said.

    Additional action is needed to create more transparency and trust, said state Sen. Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills.

    “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, and I will continue to advocate for more transparency at all levels of government,” Webber said. “Government that is for the people, by the people works best out in the open for all to see.”

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    Steve Neavling

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  • Michigan Governor Bans Conversion Therapy For LGBTQ Youth

    Michigan Governor Bans Conversion Therapy For LGBTQ Youth

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    LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The scientifically discredited practice of so-called conversion therapy, which aims to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations, is now banned for minors in Michigan under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

    Michigan becomes the 22nd state to outlaw conversion therapy, which state lawmakers defined as any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. That does not include counseling that provides assistance to people undergoing a gender transition.

    Whitmer, who is the mother of a member of the LGBTQ community, said in a statement that banning the “horrific practice,” of conversion therapy was necessary to making Michigan a place “where you can be who you are.” She signed an executive directive in 2021 prohibiting the use of state and federal funds for conversion therapy on minors.

    An estimated 15% of LGBTQ minors in Michigan have reported that they have been threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy as of 2022, according to the advocacy group The Trevor Project.

    LGBTQ rights advocates have decried the practice for years, citing research suggesting the practice can increase the risk of suicide and depression.

    The ban was approved by the Michigan Senate last month in a 21-15 vote — with one Republican siding with Democrats — after previously being passed by the state House. Republicans in opposition said the legislation could interfere with the work of mental health professionals.

    Protecting the rights of Michigan’s LGBTQ community has been a priority for Democrats since they took control of the state government earlier this year. In March, lawmakers amended the state’s civil rights act to codify LGBTQ+ protections and permanently outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state.

    Lawmakers in Minnesota, where Democrats also seized control earlier this year, passed a similar ban on conversion therapy in April. In Arizona, Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order last month that prohibits state agencies from using funds to promote or facilitate conversion therapy.

    The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community in May in response to what it called an “unprecedented and dangerous” spike in discriminatory legislation sweeping statehouses this year. The emergency declaration is the first in the 43-year history of the HRC.

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