LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) — With just a day before the state’s financial disclosure deadline, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed two bills into law Wednesday that overhaul how Michigan lawmakers file their mandatory reports.
The legislation, now Public Acts 3 and 4 of 2025, aims to fix a filing system lawmakers say has failed for two consecutive years — creating confusion, missed deadlines, and frustration across both chambers.
The reforms arrive as lawmakers scramble to comply with a 2022 constitutional amendment requiring annual financial disclosures from state legislators, the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state by May 15. Under the new laws, the deadline has been extended to June 13, giving lawmakers additional time to file while the state’s system catches up.
“This is a very simple thing,” said Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Township). “It could have been done with SurveyMonkey or Google Docs. We didn’t need to spend millions of dollars with some other company on a form that they’ve been unsuccessful in making.”
McBroom said the state’s electronic filing system, managed by the Secretary of State, has been riddled with issues — from login failures to problems editing forms after submission.
In response, the new laws do three key things: Standardize the financial disclosure form, expand acceptable submission methods, including email, and push the filing deadline back by a month.
The reforms aim to standardize the questions answered by lawmakers to improve transparency by ensuring financial ties and potential conflicts of interest are properly disclosed and easily accessible to the public.
“Do we have a business interest that could benefit from our votes?” McBroom asked. “This information will now be more accessible, just as the voters wanted when they approved this amendment.”
Despite the urgency, the bills mark only the third and fourth to pass both the House and Senate this year, out of nearly 800 introduced between the two chambers. The slow pace reflects growing tensions in a split legislature, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding the House.
“There are some fundamental disagreements and personality issues going on,” McBroom said. “But the budget deadlines are forcing things to work out.”
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) echoed the need for cooperation.
“It’s very difficult to make progress unless you have willing partners who agree on what needs to move forward,” Brinks said. “I’m hopeful we’ll see more cooperation from the other side of the Capitol and start working on the issues that matter to the people of Michigan.”
As budget negotiations approach, legislative leaders say they are focused on building momentum — and trust — to move more bills to the governor’s desk.
