St. Clair Today

On Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives approved changes to the financial disclosure requirements for elected officials. This move comes in response to significant issues with the electronic filing system and disclosure requirements overseen by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. State Representative Jay DeBoyer from Clay Township criticized Benson, describing the situation as another failure that required legislative intervention.

“Today’s action by the Michigan House once again highlights the astonishing incompetence of our Secretary of State,” said DeBoyer. “After burning through $9 million, she’s delivered a poor, incomplete product that she demands elected officials use to meet her absurd, made up requirements. Meanwhile, the people’s elected representatives in the Legislature were able to easily craft our own reporting system with far more transparency and clarity than Jocelyn Benson could muster up.”

The newly approved policy is outlined in Senate Bills 99 and 100. It introduces a new financial disclosure form that members can submit via email and enshrines it into law. This allows public access to information that lawmakers are required to disclose. By specifying which form must be used by the Secretary of State, these bills free legislative members from relying on Benson's problematic electronic filing system. The legislation also addresses confusion around lobbyist interaction reporting caused by previous mandates from the executive office.

“I would say I am appalled that the Legislature had to step in and fix Jocelyn Benson’s mess, but this has become the norm in Lansing,” added DeBoyer. “This absolutely disastrous mishandling of the financial disclosure issue is just another chapter in a long saga of failures by our Secretary of State. In a tragically ironic way, her dysfunctional website is emblematic of her shameful record on transparency."

“She somehow made a calamity out of what we proved today could have been an easy win for transparency and accountability in government," continued DeBoyer. "That kind of incompetence is dumbfounding. I find it remarkable that someone with such a horrendous history of governing wants voters to entrust her with the highest office in state government.”