St. Clair Today

House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) has raised concerns regarding the Michigan Senate's approach to earmark transparency in the state budget process. The Senate recently advanced Senate Bill 596, which would require only a 10-day notice period for earmarks. DeBoyer criticized this move, contrasting it with the House's efforts to increase transparency.

DeBoyer highlighted the passage of House Resolution 14 by House Republicans. This resolution mandated that all spending items requested by legislators be publicly reviewed and justified, with details made available on a public website before any vote.

In his statement, DeBoyer said, “The Senate committed to joining the House in making a permanent, common-sense change in state law to bring more accountability to the people. Why is there now an effort to water down this transparency for taxpayers? By shrinking vetting time for projects taxpayers are funding, the Senate isn’t looking to streamline processes. It’s an attempt to rubber stamp more spending in future budgets. That’s the only transparent thing about this bill. It makes a mockery of real efforts to bring transparency to Lansing.

“House Republicans have delivered on making transparency and ethics reforms a priority while working towards a better process for years to come. We need to get to the finish line with real, lasting changes, instead of taking steps backwards like SB 596 does.”

The debate reflects ongoing discussions in Michigan about how best to ensure public accountability in the use of taxpayer funds.