MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center for Public Policy applauds today’s progress on Senate Bills 669 and 670. These bills, which moved closer to passage today, would open up the state Legislature and the governor’s office to the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Michigan is one of two states that currently exempts both branches.

Below is a statement from Steve Delie, the Mackinac Center’s director of transparency and open government, who testified in support of these bills earlier this year.

“For far too long, Michigan has been one of the least transparent states in the country, largely because it exempted both the executive and legislative branch from the Freedom of Information Act. These bipartisan bills remedy this fault and are the culmination of a years-long effort to bring greater transparency to Michigan’s government.

This is a great first step. Michigan can and should take continued action to further reform its transparency laws. We hope these bills pass swiftly and look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to continue to advance transparency.”

The Mackinac Center is proud to have worked alongside the ACLU of Michigan, Michigan Press Association and other pro-transparency groups to highlight the need for this legislation.

Subjecting the legislative and executive branches to FOIA was one of many recommendations in Fixing FOIA, a 2023 study published by the Mackinac Center. The study highlights many of the flaws in the current FOIA language and proposes solutions to help make Michigan a national leader in transparency.

Learn more about the Mackinac Center’s transparency efforts here.