FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
September 30, 2020
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Michigan Deserves Answers About Spending on Partisan Lawsuits
Progress Michigan requests financial transparency from legislative offices
MICHIGAN – This week, Progress Michigan sent emails to the Secretary of the Senate and the House Business Office requesting financial records that pertain to the legislature’s ongoing legal efforts to undermine the emergency powers of the governor’s office. The legislature’s legal actions are funded by taxpayer dollars, but as of now, we have no way to know how much is being spent on these lawsuits.
“While Gov. Whitmer is working to keep our state safe, Republican lawmakers are blowing taxpayer money on a nonsense partisan power grab,” said Lonnie Scott, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. “Poll after poll has made it clear that a majority of Michigan voters support the governor’s executive actions and courts have continuously ruled that they are legal. If Mike Shirkey, Lee Chatfield, and the rest of the GOP truly care about their constituents, they should be busy pursuing the real solutions our communities need to stay safe and well during this pandemic. Instead, they’re ignoring both the will of the people and the advice of scientific experts and using taxpayer dollars to try and undercut Gov. Whitmer’s ability to do her job for partisan gain—and the people of Michigan deserve to know how much they’re spending.”
The text of the request is as follows:
“On behalf of Progress Michigan I am requesting the following information:
All financial records for any payments, contracts, pending payments or other financial materials relating to litigation by the [Michigan Senate/Michigan House] involving 1945 PA 302, as amended, and/or 1976 PA 390, as amended, since March 1, 2020.
Please include any attachments that were part of these records and materials, such as word documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, or other types of documents.
This is an ongoing request.
If you deny this request in whole or part, please cite each specific reason for the refusal to release this information and notify me of the appeal procedures.
Please let me know that your office has received this request. When responding to this email, please do so via email.”
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