SOS Benson announces transparency package; doesn’t include reform of secret, taxpayer-funded severance packages
(The Center Square) – On Monday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced her legislative plan to increase government transparency in Michigan, kicking off “Sunshine Week” of the public’s access to open government.
“My legislative agenda would take Michigan from worst to first in government transparency, shine the light on dark money in politics and stop public corruption,” Benson said. “These are things lawmakers must do if they are serious about rebuilding public trust in our elected government.”
In 2015, The Center for Public Integrity ranked Michigan last in the nation in government transparency. Benson claimed her legislative agenda would increase trust in state government through:
Demanding Transparency
Expand the Freedom of Information Act to apply to the Governor and the state Legislature.Require personal financial disclosures from elected officials.Require more frequent campaign disclosure than the current quarterly requirement.
Shining Light on Dark Money
Require all PACs, Super PACs, and 527 committees to report and close the administrative account loophole by requiring reporting of all receipts and disbursements.End the “Express Advocacy” reporting exception by creating a threshold definition for electioneering in the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.Tighten LLC reporting requirements to ensure secret and foreign money does not enter our elections.
Stopping Corruption
Ban foreign money in Michigan elections, as state law only bars it from super PACs.Require two years between leaving elected office and working as a lobbyist.Require former legislators who are doing “legislative consulting” to register and report as lobbyists.Eliminate the potential for quid-pro-quo corruption and “pay to play” by banning companies (and associated individuals with a controlling interest) that receive state grants or contracts from making political contributions.Enforce the Conflict of Interest Act (Act 318) to identify legislative conflicts of interest.
“State lawmakers can demonstrate real leadership by passing strong, enforceable legislation that would create true government transparency and accountability,” Benson said. “I look forward to working with them to that end, while my administration and our department continue to operate in full transparency.”
Michigan is one of two states in which neither the governor nor the legislature is subject to FOIA requests. What’s missing from the package is restricting taxpayer-funded severance packages, which have dominated Michigan headlines for weeks after reporters exposed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration spent nearly $253,000 in severance packages.
State health director Robert Gordon abruptly resigned in January, but got a $155,506 taxpayer-funded payout. Gordon oversaw Michigan’s COVID-19 restrictions, some of the most severe in the nation. When asked about the payout, Whitmer cited a confidentiality agreement barring both parties from speaking. Lawmakers have alluded to policy disputes between the two, but because of current FOIA restrictions, details remain unclear.
Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) Director Gray resigned Nov. 5 after months of record jobless claims and lengthy response times for unemployment compensation.
In March 2020, the Whitmer administration’s economic shutdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19 threw roughly 2 million people out of work. In June, lawmakers said 140,000 unemployed residents were still waiting on benefits.
In August, two people, one of them a UIA employee, were charged with attempting to steal nearly $2 million of unemployment benefits.
Still, Gray’s secret taxpayer-funded payout was $85,872, stipulated in an agreement stating he and the state are required to “maintain confidentiality” regarding his employment and departure. The Detroit News also reported the Senate has paid out $373,000 in 20 secret severance deals.
On Friday, Whitmer revised the terms of taxpayer-funded payouts but allowed them to continue.
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