State Rep. Tom Kunse this week sent a letter to Rep. Erin Byrnes, chair, and other members of the House Ethics and Oversight Committee calling upon them to take action to implement financial transparency reforms required by Proposal 1 of 2022.

“Universally and without reservation, each member of this Committee agreed in January that our beloved State deserved more transparency,” the letter reads. “There is no excuse for our lack of action and it’s beyond time to fix it.

“I am calling on each of you – not just those in Leadership – to demand we open discussions on the Financial Disclosure requirements that were mandated in Proposal 1.  Furthermore, there is no reason we cannot have a parallel conversation regarding the much-needed FOIA revisions.

“Frankly, I don’t care who ‘gets the win.’  It doesn’t need to be a bill from a specific party – but let’s at least start the discussion on these needed pieces of legislation.”

Kunse and fellow House Republicans introduced a plan in March that would require lawmakers and other top state officials to disclose their personal finances — a policy that must be in place by the end of this year due to a state constitutional amendment approved by Michigan voters last November. The Republican package would also strengthen the requirement that legislators abstain from voting when a conflict of interest exists with new, bipartisan ethics committees in the House and Senate to ensure lawmakers follow the enhanced conflict standards.

House Democrats on the Ethics and Oversight Committee have yet to take up House Republicans’ plan — or any other legislation — this year.

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