Credit Lester Graham / Michigan Radio
There was action Tuesday in Lansing toward setting stricter ethical standards for legislators and the support appears to be bipartisan.
Republicans and Democrats on the House Committee on Elections and Ethics approved a bill to forbid lawmakers from voting on bills that would benefit themselves, family members, or business associates.
It’s not clear what the penalties for violating the standard would be. That bill now goes to the House floor.
But Republican Representative Andrea Schroeder said this would move Michigan in the right direction.
“We all know that Michigan has ranked consistently low among other states for ethical standards and transparency for state officials,” she said.
A bill authored by an East Texas legislator which would require the disclosure of the ownership interest of voting devices has passed the committee phase.
District 19 Texas State Representative James White (R-Woodville) introduced House Bill 1708 in February and, if passed, will require electronic voting machines in Texas to produce a traceable printed ballot. Whiteâs bill is off to a good start after being passed in an 8-1 vote on Wednesday by the House Committee on Elections.
The bill now heads to the Committee on Calendars to be considered for placement on the House floor.
In addition to requiring printed records of voting, the bill also requires disclosure of ownership interest of those voting devices.
If passed by the House and Senate and then signed by the Governor, the law would dictate that as of September 1st, 2021 only electronic voting machines that produce a verifiable paper record could be purchased for use in Texas, and as of September 1st, 2023 electronic voting machines could not be used in an election unless it produces a paper record.
Rep. Whiteâs ballot paper trail bill gets committee OK Rep. James White is crafting a bill to require all new voting machines have a paper ballot paper trail. By Jeff Awtrey | April 15, 2021 at 12:50 PM CDT - Updated April 15 at 12:50 PM
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRE) - A House committee has passed an East Texas representativeâs bill which would require electronic voting machines to produce a traceable paper ballot.
The House Committee on Elections passed the legislature of James White (R-Woodville) in an 8-1 vote on Wednesday.
If passed, starting September 1, 2021, electronic voting machines that do not produce a verifiable paper record cannot be purchased. Beginning September 1, 2023, electronic voting machines cannot be used in an election, unless it produces a paper record.