Ethical standards for Michigan’s state officials are notoriously low. Michigan has the unenviable rank of 48th out of 51 states (plus the District of Columbia) for having some of the worst laws related to government ethics enforcement, transparency, and accountability. Voters Not Politicians has been advocating for a comprehensive platform of accountability measures since 2019, and with the passage of Proposal 22-1, we have a voter-mandated opportunity to start rebuilding trust in our government.
The passage of Proposal 1 in 2022 requires personal financial disclosures for the Governor, Lt. Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and members of the state legislature. We are working with legislators to ensure that implementation of Prop 22-1 goes further than the requirements of the amendment to also include public officials who wield decision-making power in our high courts, public universities, the state board of education, and, crucially, the spouses and dependents of these officials.
On the topic of reportable assets, Prop 22-1 contains only general requirements such as the need to describe “assets and sources of unearned income.” Meaningful financial disclosure requires detailed descriptions of reportable assets, including real or personal property, cash, or securities. Enabling legislation needs to include reasonable reporting thresholds (e.g., $10,000 for assets and liabilities and $1,000 for purchases or sales of non-mutual fund securities) and require that any interest in an annuity, plan, or pension worth more than the reporting threshold must be reported.
Personal financial disclosure on the part of our lawmakers doesn’t get the job done without strong conflict of interest laws acting as guardrails for our elected officials. Currently, there is no way to restrict officials from sponsoring, voting on, or otherwise deciding the outcomes of policies that could personally enrich themselves or their immediate family in Michigan. Strong legislation outlining what is and is not allowed will restore public faith that our government is working for us.
Openness and transparency are key pillars of a strong democracy. For too long, Michigan has left voters in the dark. The decisive passage of Proposal 22-1 shows that Michigan voters are more than ready for our elected officials to finally report their financial ties, and expose potential conflicts of interest. This is a great start, but 22-1 sets a floor, not a ceiling. We can and should do better.
