On June 4, 2020, the Mackinac Center filed for public records with the state licensing department for COVID-19 complaints it have received and for copies of the cease and desist letters they had sent out to businesses. The state acknowledge the request, cashed the corresponding check of over $1,000, but has yet to fulfill this routine Freedom of Information Act request.
Laws requiring public bodies to provide public records are a fundamental element of making government transparent to the people. An important element of this is ensuring that public documents are released in a timely manner. The Mackinac Center sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The request was for complaints the department received about COVID-19 violations and for the cease and desist letters the department had sent to businesses for alleged violations of emergency orders. The request for the documents was filed on June 4, paid for on July 7, but the department has yet to meet its legal requirement to provide these documents in a timely manner. On October 30, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation sued the state of Michigan for refusing to provide the public documents.
