Politicians are expected to try and avoid conflicts of interest.
But apparently at the state Capitol in Lansing, some aren't trying very hard.
Craig Mauger and Ron French of Bridge Magazine report:
Welcome to the Michigan Legislature, where there is no law barring lawmakers from voting on bills that could financially benefit their businesses or families. While 32 states have statutes regulating conflicts of interest — some requiring disclosure; some barring members from casting votes — Michigan relies on House and Senate rules enforced by the lawmakers themselves, with predictable results.
An investigation by Bridge Magazine and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) found numerous examples of bills authored or supported by legislators that, at least on the surface, offered the potential of a benefit to the lawmakers, their businesses or their families. They include:
- The owner of a business that installs septic systems sponsoring a bill that would give those doing emergency septic work a waiver from seasonal vehicle weight limits;
- The president of a real estate management company sponsoring a bill that would make it more difficult to sue landlords for damages arising from a bed bug infestation;
- A state senator telling a hometown newspaper he couldn’t vote on a bill that came to the Senate floor because it would give his daughter, a judge, a raise; then voting yes on the same bill when it returned to the Senate.
