LANSING – State Representatives Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) and Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today voted in support of sweeping ethics reforms designed to restore integrity to the State House and Michigan residents' confidence in government.
"Today's vote gives confidence to our citizens that the Michigan House operates under the highest ethical standards," Valentine said. "House Democrats vowed to restore ethics to the House, and that's just what we've done."
The five-point plan that passed the House will:
- Require elected officials, appointed officials and statewide candidates to disclose their financial assets.
- Prohibit lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for one year after leaving office.
- Prohibit a legislator from voting on a bill when a substantial conflict of interest is present.
- Prohibit lawmakers from applying for or accepting grants from the state while the legislator is in office.
- Require the people or organizations behind automated political phone calls – also known as "robocalls" – to disclose their identities at the beginning of a call.
"This package will ensure that Michigan's lawmakers are working on behalf of Michigan's citizens and not the special interests," Dean said. "Legislators are public servants and our citizens need to know that the decisions they make aren't based on conflicts of interest. This is the right thing to do for our residents and the right thing to do for Michigan."