FOIA Friday: Private business ties raise calls for ethics reforms

• The firm, Edge Partnerships, has worked with trade associations and state departments like the Michigan Department of Education, whose funding is set by lawmakers — including Witwer in her influential role as House Appropriations Committee chair.

Why it matters: Lawmakers say the revelation about one of Michigan's most powerful lawmakers is the latest example of the state's desperate need for transparency reform and financial disclosure requirements, which exist in 48 other states.

State of play: Public documents filed by Edge show that as recently as 2022, Witwer was still a member of the business while serving as a legislator, although she told the News she is no longer an owner.

• She invited the company's CEO to be her guest on the House floor for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address in January, as well as the chairman of the Michigan Film Industry Association, which has also worked with Edge.

Between the lines: Witwer didn't answer the News' questions about whether she's received any money from Edge this year.

• The firm has worked with the Ingham County Health Department, Highland Park schools, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, among other groups.

What they're saying: "It looks like you're selling access to the Legislature," state Rep. Tom Kunse (R-Clare), who sponsored a Republican ethics package introduced this year, tells Axios.

• "The fact that Speaker [Joe] Tate [(D-Detroit)] hasn't asked Witwer if she has benefited from the Edge group — that's the opening question. It's cut and dry."

The other side: Tate's spokesperson Amber McCann said in a statement that Tate "does not believe that there is a conflict of interest violation that needs to be explored, and there's no action that he plans to take at this time."

• Witwer did not return Axios' requests for comment.

What's next: A voter-approved constitutional amendment requiring lawmakers to disclose conflicts is due to be in effect by the end of the year.

• "We've got four months left; are we just going to shove something down everyone's throat that doesn't have the requirements needed for it to be effective?" state Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) tells Axios.
• Sen. Jeremy Moss, who chairs the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee, tells Axios that Democrats are taking their time to introduce ethics legislation the party will get behind because the previous Senate majority never made a real effort to get it passed.
• "It's not just policy, it's institution changing. When we were in the minority, we weren't in charge of the business office or majority legal counsel, so we are examining how to actually implement it," Moss says.

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