A state House bill would change the Michigan Constitution to require all university board meetings be open to the public.
Right now, the constitution says only "formal" sessions are open to the public. Universities decide which sessions fall under that category.
Rep. Martin Howrylak, the bill's sponsor, said that leaves a lot open to interpretation.
"[The university] could say it's an informal meeting, have it behind closed doors, meet out of state, whatever they want to do, and seal that off from the sunlight of public viewing," Howrylak said.
The bill would remove "formal" from the state constitution to clarify that all public university board meetings are open to the public.
Howrylak said universities aren't corporations or businesses.
"There's an obligation and responsibility to be transparent and open with the public," he said. "These are public institutions with public money."
To pass, the bill would need a super-majority vote in both houses of the state Legislature.
It would then go to the ballot for a public vote.
