LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Two Michigan lawmakers want to ensure non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the political realm are a thing of the past.

Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) and Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) introduced bipartisan House Bills 4052 and 4053. Those bills would prohibit Michigan legislators from entering into NDAs with information obtained in their official capacity.

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Both Carr and Wegela said if these safeguards had been in place during the past few years, it would have prevented certain taxpayer-funded projects like the Marshall electric vehicle battery plant and the Chinese-back Gotion project in Big Rapids. They said NDAs make it easier to package “corporate handouts” as “economic development.”

“Elected officials have a duty to be as open and transparent as possible,” said Rep. Carra. “Lawmakers should not trade their silence for information or proximity, using this underhanded tool for the practice of developing corporate welfare schemes. Corruption like this has a proven track record of failure, but the real insidiousness comes from the practice being set up to, primarily and directly, benefit the politically connected.”

Rep. Wegela called out the rot in both parties who have signed NDAs in the past. “The signing of these NDAs has led to the transfer of billions of taxpayer dollars to corporations,” Rep. Wegela said. Lawmakers learn about these agreements and regardless of whether or not they support the projects, it prevents them from speaking out against these deals. Legislators shouldn’t be handcuffed by NDAs preventing them from speaking out against deals that are bad for Michigan.”

The bills have been referred to the Committee on Government Operations.