Michigan Taxpayers Forced to Jump Through Hoops to Get Public Information

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 11:37 AM by Renae Bartusch

Michigan, which lacks a state spending portal, throws up every roadblock it can to keep taxpayers from getting information on state spending. Most notorious in the battle for transparency is the state’s hostility regarding public employees, which it claims is private information. While Michigan is unique in that its law has an exemption written for the executive branch that does allow the Governor to keep her staff’s salary information confidential, the rest of public employee spending is public information. However, taxpayers have to file a Freedom of Information Act request if they want information regarding public employees hired by state legislatures and governors.  And the state doesn’t make it easy after the FOIA has been filed, either.

In 2008, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s Show Michigan the Money transparency project asked the governor to place the names and salaries or all state employees on a state website. After the office replied that it would provide little value to the taxpayer.  It’s obvious that the Governor, whose policies have spurred Michiganders to leave the state at an increasingly higher pace since 2006, is not one to accurately divine what would be of utility to Michigan taxpayers. Moreover, as the benefactors of her office’s salaries, taxpayers have every right now know what is getting doled out to her staff.

Transparency legislation, which has failed to pass several of the past legislatures, would be a quick remedy for this problem. House Bill 4613 was introduced in March of 2009 and would repeal the exemptions under FOIA.  Similarly, HB 4043 and HB 4150 would require online, searchable databases of state spending that would allow taxpayers to hunt down waste and abuse. Curious taxpayers need to make some noise and get this bill back on the radar of legislators.

Tags: Transparency MI