LANSING – Lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state would be banned from directly or indirectly applying for state grants and it would be a misdemeanor for candidates or their campaign staff to accept donations on state property under a two-bill ethics package passed by the House on Wednesday.
The legislation (HB 4380 , passed 101-2, and HB 4382 , passed unanimously) was reported earlier in the day by the House Ethics and Elections Committee.
Sponsors of both bills said they are steps to restoring the public’s confidence in elected officials.
“These grants should not be to the benefit of people who are already in office,” said Rep. Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores), sponsor of the state grant bill.
But during the committee hearing and debate on the House floor, Republicans questioned whether advocating for a school district that is applying for a state grant would be over the line and they opposed a provision in the campaign contribution piece that would exempt the governor’s mansion.
Democrats said they didn’t want to criminalize an official for making phone calls related to a campaign in their residence. The legislation also has an exemption for state property that is owned or leased that any candidate has equal access to, such as a state park, but not the House Office Building because chamber rules prohibit that.
The legislation calls for misdemeanor penalties of a fine of no more than $1,000, 90 days in jail or both for violating the campaign contribution measure.
Democrats also said the state grant legislation wouldn’t prohibit a lawmaker from writing a letter in support of their school district getting money, but it would ban that legislator from benefiting from that grant through a salary or being directly involved in negotiating a grant.
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