In February, I joined a majority of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, in rolling out landmark legislation to make Michigan’s state government more transparent.

We introduced bills to make the executive branch subject to the Freedom of Information Act and to subject the Legislature to similar open-records laws.

In March, the House unanimously approved the 11-bill package, setting the bar very high on government accountability. Michigan is one of only two states that do not subject their governor, lieutenant governor and legislative branch to open-records laws.

We spoke loud and clear: make government transparent.

Since then, the Senate has had the bills under consideration. They were assigned to the Senate Government Operations Committee, and are awaiting their first hearing.

I would like to see that hearing happen sooner than later.

I urge my colleagues in the other chamber to take up this important legislation when the House and Senate return from the in-district work period in the fall. If not, these bills could experience the same fate as similar legislation we introduced last session, which was not acted upon before the session ended.

The ability to monitor your state government at work is not a privilege, it is a right. Harold Cross, the unattributed father of the Freedom of Information Act, said:

Public business is the public’s business. The people have the right to know. Freedom of information is their just heritage. Without that the citizens of a democracy have but changed their kings.

The House of Representatives made open government a priority, and I believe these bills should be given full consideration and approval in the Senate as soon as possible. People should know how state government works and how taxpayer dollars entrusted to the government are being used.

We have taken great care in crafting the Legislative Open Records Act to ensure that correspondence between a legislator and a constituent that should be personal remains that way. That appeared to be the speed bump in last session’s failure to pass the bills, and the House addressed that concern in this legislative package.

Please join me in urging the Senate Majority Leader to take up the open government bills and pass them, giving Michiganders the full access to state government that they deserve.

Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, represents the 59th District in the Michigan House of Representatives.