(LANSING, MI.)– State Rep. Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain co-sponsored legislation Thursday requiring state departments to fulfill Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests within 60 days of the initial requests. The measure is in response to a public statement issued by Attorney General Bill Schuette in December 2017 outlining how Michigan’s FOIA law does not specify a particular timeline for when a state department must fulfill a request for information. “In a rather inventive way, bureaucrats are using the flexibility that’s provided in current statute to arbitrarily delay the processing of FOIA requests indefinitely,” LaFave said. “It’s no wonder why residents are upset with their government. I’m all in for making sure taxpayers across the state are receiving requested information in a timely manner. What we are seeing now is totally unacceptable in terms of accountability from our state agencies, and it violates the people’s right to monitor their government.” The measure to increase transparency comes during Sunshine Week, which celebrates the importance of open government and freedom of information. LaFave sponsors one of the 11 bills introduced in February 2017 making Michigan’s governor, lieutenant governor, and the state Legislature subject to the FOIA. The Michigan Senate has yet to take up the bill package. House Bill 5733 now moves to the House Oversight Committee for consideration.
(Aaron Harper,WJNR,WOBE,WHTO)
aaronharper22@gmail.com