FROM FOIA TO concealed weapons, last week Gov. Rick Snyder showed some of the “moderation” that has been missing from his leadership over the past four years. While campaigning, Snyder never professed to be a moderate Republican. Neither did he correct the misconceptions of those in the media who mistakenly portrayed him as such. In his first year, he stripped gay and lesbian state employees and their children of their health care. For anyone who’d hoped Snyder was a moderate, the Governor’s performance was down hill from there.

On Jan. 15, after being lobbied by newly-elected U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, including by letter and by phone, Mr. Snyder vetoed a gun bill which could have put guns into the hands of Michigan residents who may have used them to bully, threaten and intimidate others. Neither Mrs. Dingell nor Mr. Snyder made any friends in the NRA on Jan. 15, and it’s safe to assume that going forward both may suffer political fallout. The NRA was a long-time campaign contributor to Rep. Dingell’s husband, whose views on carrying guns differ significantly from his wife’s. As a child, Debbie Dingell witnessed domestic violence involving a gun.

In addition to vetoing SB 789 which would have allowed a person who is the subject of a personal protection order to obtain a concealed pistol license, Gov. Snyder also vetoed Senate Bill 78 that could have restricted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources from effectively and sustainably managing forests, potentially putting Michigan’s natural resources at risk.

In support of his veto, the Governor said: “Biodiversity is essential to how our world-class natural resources are managed. While there may be opportunities to look into our forest management practices, reducing biodiversity authority will only cause confusion and hurt our forests.”

From a politician with a poor record on protecting the environment, according to the Michigan Sierra Club, this was a very welcome step toward vigorously protecting one of our state’s most valuable and important natural resources.

Finally, Gov. Snyder signed into law HB 4001. From now on, public agencies cannot ignore or delay their responses to Freedom of Information Act requests without consequences. Those who drag their heels in furnishing requested information must reduce the fees they charged for furnishing it by 10 percent for each day that less than half the information isn’t presented. The reforms signed into law by Gov. Snyder set fee limits, establish an appeals process for fees and create procedures for responding to and declining FOIA requests.

This is a very welcome reform to the state’s FOIA statute and this newspaper looks forward to its application locally in our efforts to obtain public records.