State Rep. Mike Mueller this week voted to approve a bipartisan plan to make state government more accountable to the people of Michigan.

Mueller, of Linden, said the House unanimously approved the multi-bill proposal.

“Michigan residents deserve to know how their government operates, how their tax dollars are spent and whether their elected officials are acting in their best interests,” Mueller said. “Approving this common-sense plan will help the media and the public hold government accountable.”

Michigan is one of just two states that still exempts its governor and the Legislature from open records laws. The bipartisan solution approved this week would end these exemptions and increase transparency in state government.

The proposal will subject the governor and lieutenant governor to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and hold state representatives and senators to the same high standard by creating the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA).

While LORA mirrors FOIA in many ways, there are exemptions for constituent inquiries to ensure that personal information is protected and kept private. Other types of communications – including those lawmakers have with state departments and lobbyists – would not be exempt.

House Bills 4007-13 and 4015-16 now advance to the Senate for consideration.

###