by
Chad Selweski
Michigan's Legislature seems determined to retain the state's status as the least transparent, least ethical public body in the nation.
The latest sleight of hand in Lansing is an effort by Republican leaders -– and some leading reformers on the left -- to bastardize legislation that would have ended a key proviso of state government secrecy.
Clear skies over a murky workplace (Photo: Nancy Derringer)
Michigan remains one of only two states that don’t require state lawmakers to disclose their finances – business ownerships or partnerships, real estate, stocks – which would reveal legislators’ conflicts of interest.
A previous bill to require full public disclosure of income and assets has been twisted into a secretive system where only a small committee of lawmakers could see the financial records that would be submitted by fellow legislators.