Anti-lobbying ballot measure folds in 2020

The Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes has suspended their ballot proposal that would ban all gifts from lobbyists. The coalition sought to put an amendment to the state Constitution limiting corporate lobbyists on the November ballot.

The coalition put out a statement saying since the spread of COVID-19 has reached Michigan and disrupted the lives of its residents, performing the task of gathering 425,000 signatures to put lobby reform on the ballot has become “relatively impossible.”

The Advance reported on Thursday that ballot question committees were struggling and some might fold.

https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/01/23/voters-could-decide-government-transparency-initiative-that-includes-sweeping-lobbying-restrictions/

The initiative would have included:

• Banning all gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers
• Requiring a two-year cool-off period for lawmakers exiting office, before they can be lobbyists
• Creating a log of lobbying so resident can see who has lobbied their representatives, for how long and for what reasons
• Increasing transparency requirements for organizations using public communications to influence public officials

Focusing now on building a campaign for 2022, the coalition said in the release it still hopes to increase government accountability.