Written by Julie Brixey, Erin Burns, Betsy Coffea, Jason Morgan
There are many reasons to be proud to call Michigan home. From the beautiful Great Lakes to the grit of the Midwest.
Unfortunately, Michigan’s ethics and transparency ranking is not one point to be proud of. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the state ranks 47th among states in the nation in its anti-corruption efforts against public servants, which ranks it at the bottom of the list.
Last year alone, scandals involving multiple former Michigan legislative leaders, including former Speaker Lee Chatfield and his staff, and former Speaker Rick Johnson, made headlines. The Lansing ethics scandal has revealed a troubling pattern that investigators, journalists and good government observers blame on a lax regulatory and surveillance environment.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said Michigan’s poor transparency, lobbying and oversight laws “invite corruption.”
Public trust is essential for a government to function properly. Holes in our state’s transparency laws undermine Michiganders’ trust in us as their elected representatives. The good news is that thanks to new Democratic leadership in Lansing, we have an opportunity to take Michigan from worst to first.
Seizing this opportunity for change, a group of Democratic lawmakers established a working group with the Attorney General and Secretary of State’s offices in summer 2023. We spent nine months crafting a package of ethics and transparency bills. On March 13, during Sunshine Week, we introduced the BRITE Act (Bringing Integrity, Transparency and Ethics Reform).
The BRITE Act is far-reaching and aims to close loopholes in Michigan’s current transparency and oversight laws. For example, the lack of oversight by state officials in the past over the use of political funds for luxury living and travel is an issue that our package addresses head-on. Currently, political nonprofit organizations associated with legislators and candidates do not need to file with the state, only with the IRS. Our bill package requires these political nonprofit organizations that partner with candidates and state elected officials to register and have their affiliation recognized with the Michigan Secretary of State.
The BRITE Act also includes legislation that would give election officials the power to address campaign finance violations in real time. Time and time again, we have seen violations pile up over the years because the department lacked the authority and personnel to address problems as they arose. Our bill changes that and sends a message that campaign finance laws cannot be ignored.
Our bill also addresses much-needed lobbying reform. We propose that he have a one-year cooling-off period after leaving Congress before becoming a registered lobbyist. Elected officials should be focused on working for the people, not on the next paycheck.
We also believe there needs to be transparency about who is paying for members’ travel expenses. We propose additional transparency measures so that taxpayers can verify that information.
The BRITE Act also recognizes the role of staff in the policy-making process and believes they should be protected from undue pressure from bad actors. Our bill would require lobbyists to report their efforts to target legislative staff.
Voters across the state recognize ethics and transparency as priorities for elected officials. We agree it’s time to change the culture in Lansing, and that’s exactly what this package is about.
Let’s raise the state of our pride from the worst to the best and let the sun shine on it.
About the author: State Rep. Julie Brixey, D-Meridian Township; Erin Burns, D-Dearborn; Betsy Coffea, D-Traverse City; Jason Morgan, Democrat of Ann Arbor; They represent the 73rd, 15th, 103rd, and 23rd wards, respectively.
State Rep. Julie Brixey, D-Meridian Township; Erin Burns, D-Dearborn; Betsy Coffea, D-Traverse City; Jason Morgan, Ann Arbor Democrat; They represent the 73rd, 15th, 103rd, and 23rd wards, respectively.
