Bill
SB 1196
The bill tightens public officers’ disclosures by requiring source details for unearned income, adds lobbyist source names, and lets reports be filed by email.
Status: Referred to Committee on Government Operations (introduced Feb 10, 2025)
Primary sponsor: Sen. Jeremy Moss (companion measures: SB 1197, SB 1198)
Subject: Public officers’ financial disclosure and related reporting procedures (amends 2023 PA 281, MCL 15.703 et seq.)
Purpose
- Clarify and adjust several financial-disclosure reporting requirements for statewide public officers created by 2023 PA 281 (the Public Officers Financial Disclosure Act), align statutory requirements with guidance from the Attorney General, and make limited procedural changes to how reports are provided to the Secretary of State (SOS).
Key provisions (substantive and technical)
- Spouse reporting threshold: A public officer must report the occupation and employer name(s) of the officer’s spouse only if the spouse received at least $1,000 in annual income. (Reduces disclosure burden for spouses with minimal income.)
- Unearned income and securities: When reporting unearned income (e.g., dividends, pensions, annuities) and securities, officers must include the origin and the address of the source(s) and of the securities. (Adds specificity to source disclosures.)
- Lobbyist-related disclosures: Public officers must identify the name of the lobbyist or lobbyist agent who provided a gift payment, travel payment, or a payment to a charity in lieu of an honorarium. (Links gifts/travel/charity-payments to the lobbying source.)
- Forms availability deadline: The Department of State must make the most recent financial-disclosure reporting form publicly available by early March 2025 (committee reports reference March 1, 2025 / March 15, 2025).
- Alternate electronic filing: The SOS must accept statements and reports required by the Act if they were submitted via email as an acceptable alternative to the Act’s internet electronic filing system.
- Definitions and cross-references: The bill adjusts/clarifies certain defined terms and cross-references within the Act (sections amended: 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 & 15).
Related/companion measures
- SB 1197: Parallel changes to the Candidate for Office Financial Disclosure Act (similar spouse threshold, source/address reporting, form availability, email acceptance; narrows “candidate” definition to those intending to appear on the ballot during the election cycle).
- SB 1198: Amendments to the Lobbyist Registration Act (separately addresses the statutory definition of “gift,” excludes certain charity tickets and conference admissions, and prescribes fair‑market‑value methodology).
Who is affected
- “Public officer” as defined in the Act: state representatives, state senators, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. (SB 1197 would affect candidates for those offices under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act thresholds.)
- Lobbyists and lobbyist agents (additional naming requirement when making gifts/travel/charity payments).
- Department of State / Secretary of State (new deadlines and email acceptance responsibilities).
Rationale and impact
- Rationale: Committee analysis notes the amendments are intended to codify aspects of an Attorney General opinion and to better align statutory disclosure with the intent of Proposal 22‑1 (the 2022 constitutional amendment requiring disclosures).
- Practical impact: Low‑to‑moderate administrative changes for filers (new fields to disclose origin/address and lobbyist names) and for SOS/Dept. of State (form posting deadline and acceptance of emailed filings). The nonpartisan fiscal analysis indicates no fiscal impact to state or local government.
Procedural notes / next steps
- Committee referral: Referred to Government Operations (committee activity noted in records; hearings/testimony have been scheduled in related committee records).
- Fiscal note: No fiscal impact per legislative analyst.
- If enacted, requirements for form availability and email acceptance would take effect in the near term (committee reports cite March 2025 timing for form posting).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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