FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
October 19, 2016
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Flint Report Shows FOIA Reform Needed Now
Transparency, accountability were absent leading up to Flint Water Crisis
MICHIGAN — Progress Michigan released the following statement regarding the long-awaited release of the Joint Select Flint Water Public Health Emergency Committee and the changes it recommends to Michigan law.
“Along with the recommendations in the report, the legislature — namely the Michigan Senate — must take up the bill package that improves our state’s Freedom of Information Act laws. A lack of transparency and accountability contributed to the Flint Water Crisis and we must overhaul the secretive culture of the Republican-controlled state government. That’s starts with reforming FOIA,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Gov. Rick Snyder was never called to testify before this committee and his selective dumping of public emails is a poor excuse for transparency. Michigan has some of the worst transparency and ethics laws in the country and this report is meaningless without action to address those problems. The other recommendations seem to be positive steps forward and we encourage the Michigan Legislature to act with urgency to fix the issues that led to this crisis.”
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