Following the high-profile indictment of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, lawmakers are again considering a slate of financial transparency laws in an effort to renew public trust in state government.
Lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a set of financial transparency bills following a landmark week in Michigan campaign finance developments. Legislators and public watchdogs have long called for substantial reform to Michigan’s transparency laws as experts have ranked the state as one of the least transparent in the nation.
“You didn’t break our system or the public’s trust in government — but you are the ones who can repair it,” Attorney General Dana Nessel told lawmakers. “This is your chance. I ask you not to waste it.””
On Tuesday, Nessel announced over a dozen felony charges against Chatfield. Nessel alleged that Chatfield stole both public and private dollars to, among other acts, pay off a personal credit card balance of $132,000, falsify mileage for reimbursement and fund lavish vacations with family and political partners.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said that current state laws are simply not enough to deter those aiming to personally benefit from their position of power.
“The fact that the alleged financial crimes, including the egregious and blatant embezzlement of taxpayer dollars and nonprofit funds for personal gain and enrichment, were able to go undetected for so long underscores of failure of our current laws to prohibit corruption in our state government,” she said.
The BRITE Act, the bill package introduced by House Democrats, would require lawmakers to report direct associations with nonprofit organizations and establish a one-year waiting period before lawmakers could become lobbyists after leaving office.
Both Nessel and Benson testified in support of the bills, saying they would go a long way to deter unethical behavior in Lansing.
“What these bills provide is a start a solid, earnest, serious effort towards the goal of ending corrosive forces in Michigan government, creating better transparency and allowing a path forward to earn back the trust of the public,” Nessel said.
Nessel emphasized that public trust in government will continue to deteriorate if substantial measures aren’t put into place.
Matt Hall, leader of the house republicans, says that while he disapproves of Chatfield’s alleged conduct, he doesn’t feel the BRITE Act would have deterred him or other wrongdoers.
“I would just say they should be enforcing the laws that exist,” he said. “Registration isn’t going to solve that problem, because I just pointed out all the loopholes in that registration — so that I haven’t seen a plan from [Democrats] that would do it. But I’ll just say [wrongdoers] shouldn’t be doing that.”
Hall declined to say whether Republicans would introduce competing legislation.
