Bill Would Require All University Board Meetings To Be Open

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A bill would change the Michigan constitution to require all meetings of public university boards to be open to the public.

House Resolution O would remove the word "formal" from a section in the constitution detailing which public university board meetings must be open. Currently, universities decide what a formal session is and what isn't reports The Detroit Free Press.

The bill introduced by Republican state Rep. Martin Howrylak of Troy would need to have a two-thirds vote approving it from both the state House and Senate, then head to the public for a vote.

The Presidents Council is the lobbying group representing the state's 15 public universities. Michael Boulus, executive director of the group, says the legislation is "essentially unnecessary" and the universities currently follow the state constitution.
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