GRAND RAPIDS – State Representatives Mike "Huck" Huckleberry (D-Greenville), Roy Schmidt (D-Grand Rapids) and Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today touted a package of government reforms that will close the revolving door between lobbying groups and lawmakers, force elected officials to disclose their finances and dock lawmakers' pay for each day of session they miss. The lawmakers also called on the Republican-controlled Senate to pass 10 percent salary cuts for lawmakers, a measure passed by the House two weeks ago.
"If I didn't show up in the morning to open my restaurant, you can bet I wouldn't be making any money that day," said Huckleberry, who has owned and operated Huckleberry's Restaurant in Greenville since 1991. "It's a lesson that our hard-working residents learn early in their careers, and legislators shouldn't be treated any differently. If we want to make any progress toward creating jobs and revitalizing our economy, our lawmakers need to show up to work and stand up for our residents."
The government reform plan introduced today will:
- End the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbying firms by prohibiting legislators from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office.
- Increase financial disclosure requirements to require candidates for elected office and state officials to submit personal financial statements and reports to the Bureau of Elections.
- Dock lawmakers' pay each time that they miss a day of House session.
"It really bothers me to think that legislators can turn around and become lobbyists just days after their term ends," Schmidt said. "By closing the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbying groups, we can ensure our elected officials are focused on representing their residents - not on where their next paycheck will come from - until the final day of they are in office. These reforms are common-sense measures that provide our residents that state government truly works for them."
Earlier this month, legislators introduced a plan to cut the salaries of lawmakers and other elected officials by 10 percent. The legislation passed the House two weeks ago and awaits action in the Senate.
"Every time a lawmaker sets foot in our state Capitol, he or she must always be thinking in the best interests of our residents," Dean said. "These common-sense reforms will help fix our state government, hold us accountable to our communities and ensure that we are putting people first. I'm committed to fighting for these changes so we can have a Legislature that's focused on reducing wasteful spending, creating jobs and rebuilding our economy."