LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Wednesday introduced a series of Sunshine Week bills to better assist Michigan residents seeking access to public records under the Freedom of Information Act as well as to increase accountability from the Detroit Institute of Arts and Detroit Zoo to local taxpayers.
“I am happy to be able to announce this important legislation during Sunshine Week, which is observed March 11 through 16 this year and continues to put a spotlight on the importance of open government,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “Far too often, we see government entities brazenly stalling FOIA requests or reporting the bare minimum information — that is simply not acceptable. Institutions funded by taxpayers’ dollars should be fully open and accountable.”
Runestad said Senate Bill 785 would create an office of FOIA ombudsman with subpoena power and the ability to request records from state and local government offices to help facilitate the processing of public information requests on behalf of residents.
“Michigan taxpayers need and deserve an advocate to assist them in obtaining — in an acceptable timeframe — all the information that is their right to see,” Runestad said. “It is my hope to create an independent FOIA ombudsman to assist residents — at no cost — with this vital tool for government transparency and accountability.”
SBs 786 and 787 would expand FOIA and Open Meetings Act laws to include the taxpayer-funded Detroit Institute of Arts and Detroit Zoo, an effort Runestad first began during the previous 2022 legislative session.
“With public funding, comes public accountability,” Runestad said. “Voters in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties contribute millions to the DIA and Detroit Zoological Society annually through their property taxes, making up a significant portion of the operating budgets for these institutions. It’s incumbent upon the Legislature to require that decisions made on taxpayer dollars are done in the open.”
Runestad has also introduced several bills over the past year to open up Michigan’s government to greater transparency, including SBs 223 and 224 to increase public access to communications and documents from all state offices by expanding FOIA and Legislative Open Records Act provisions regarding the governor, lieutenant governor, their staffs, and the Legislature.
“Year after year, we find Michigan rated among the least transparent states in the entire nation,” Runestad said. “Government must be open and accessible to taxpayers whose hard-earned dollars are spent for its operation. I will continue to advocate for transparency and accountability wherever I see a place in which we could do better — and that is a lot of places.”
Runestad has been a “pile driver” in the fight for government sunshine for years, introducing more than 30 transparency bills during his time in the Legislature, including:
- SBs 319 and 320 of 2023 to require budget appropriations transparency.
- SBs 297 and 298 of 2023 to establish public elections for Michigan Public Service Commission board members.
- SB 296 of 2023 to require lobby reporting for utility companies.
- SB 257 of 2023 regarding video recordings of court proceedings.
- SB 222 of 2023 to establish a cooling-off period for legislators before lobbying.
- SB 221 of 2023 to prohibit spouses of sitting lawmakers from lobbying.
- SB 53 of 2023 to provide greater Children’s Protective Services transparency.
- SBs 1128, 1129 and 1130 of 2022 regarding video recordings of child interviews in CPS cases.
- SB 788 of 2021 to require a candidate to establish a separate account for recall purposes.
- SBs 275 and 336 of 2021 regarding video recordings of court proceedings.
- SB 244, now Public Act 36 of 2021, requiring proof of service verification.
- SB 21 of 2021 to establish a cooling-off period for legislators before lobbying.
- SB 828 of 2020 to require the attorney general to report contingency fee contracts with private attorneys.
- SBs 824 and 825 of 2020 to expand FOIA and OMA requirements for certain art institute service providers and zoological institutions.
- SB 619 of 2019 and SB 790 of 2020 regarding video recordings of court proceedings.
- SB 57 of 2019 to establish a cooling-off period for legislators before lobbying.
- House Bills 6572 and 6573, now PAs 521 and 522 of 2018, to allow the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to obtain officer records.
- HB 4527 of 2017 to amend certain legislator lobbying provisions.
- HB 6007 of 2016 to amend certain legislator lobbying provisions.
- HB 4890 of 2015 to expand FOIA to certain art institute service providers.
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