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Finally!
Finally, Michiganders are one step closer to knowing more about the ways in which the most powerful people in the state operate, how they make the decisions they make, and who's influencing them in what ways.
The state Senate last week approved bills that would require the governor and Legislature to hand over to the public most documents produced by their office, including internal communications. The bills now go to the state House, which is on summer recess.
Similar bills have stalled in the Legislature repeatedly over the past decade or so, typically dying in the state Senate, so the bills' passage in that chamber is a significant step forward.
We urge the House to quickly pass the bills when they return from recess, and we urge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to sign the bills as soon as they land on her desk.
That has to happen this year. Any bills left unsigned by the end of the legislative term on New Year's Eve would have to be reintroduced and reapproved next term.
Michigan's Freedom of Information Act already subjects most state agencies and all local governments to disclosure requirements, but Michigan is one of only a couple of states that exempt the governor and lawmakers from being compelled to hand over records.
Innumerable are the ways journalists, activists, lawyers, and ordinary Michiganders have used records obtained through FOIA to uncover government wrongdoing, wastes of taxpayer money, and other malfeasance. Subjecting such misdeeds to the light of day has allowed police and lawmakers to initiate investigations to undo those wrongs or at the very least allowed voters to make more informed decisions the next time they head to the polls.
Disclosure laws also act a little like speed limit signs. The same as just knowing a police officer could be nearby with a radar gun makes most people travel at least near the speed limit, just knowing the public could obtain information tends to make government officials act more justly.
At least most of the time.
The bills aren't perfect, still allowing too many exemptions from disclosure that allow the government to keep too many secrets, but they're a huge step in the right direction and they need to become law as soon as possible.