The Mining Journal, April 22, 2022
LANSING — The Michigan Coalition for Open Government presented the Jane Briggs-Bunting Transparency in Government Award to state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, and website owner Susan Bisio.
As chair of the House Oversight Committee, McBroom, along with then-Rep. Jeremy Moss, was the first to develop and promote legislation that would make the Michigan governor and the Legislature subject to the Freedom of Information Act, MPA said. Currently, Michigan is one of two states that exempts its executive office and one of eight that exempts its lawmakers from FOIA.
MPA said McBroom continues to fight for this legislation in the Senate. Over the course of his time in Lansing, McBroom has championed more open meetings and transparency from Michigan’s public universities.
Bisio’s efforts created precedent that will enable Michiganders everywhere to more easily obtain documents in the future, MPA said.
In 2015, after a FOIA request to the downstate village of Clarkston was repeatedly refused, Bisio sued. Five years later, after a review by the Michigan Supreme Court, Bisio successfully obtained the records she sought.
She continues to draw attention to transparency issues in Clarkston through her two websites, clarkstonsunshine.com and clarkstonsecrets.com.
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