Bipartisan legislation was passed this week extending the deadline for legislators, the attorney general, and the secretary of state to file required financial disclosures from May 15 to June 13. There have been several issues with the website created to accept the disclosure forms, necessitating the need to extend the deadline. Given the deadline, on Wednesday evening, Governor Whitmer signed the legislation into law.
Background:
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- In 2023, as required by Proposal 1 of 2022, the legislature finalized a plan creating financial disclosure requirements for certain elected officials and candidates in Michigan.
- The requirement applies to the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and House and Senate members, in addition to candidates for those offices.
- It requires candidates to file a financial disclosure report before they can be seated.
- A candidate or elected official must include in the report every source of income, assets, and significant liabilities, among other items.
Changes:
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- Senate Bills 99 and 100 were introduced by Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Senator Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan).
- It creates a new financial disclosure form and places it into statute.
- It allows the form to be submitted via email in addition to the online platform.
- Additionally, it provides some clarity on reporting requirements for lobbyist interactions.
