State Rep. Tom Kunse (R-Clare) today celebrated the House passage of his bill to improve transparency around enhancement grants in Michigan’s state budget.

House Bill 4420 would require all proposed enhancement grant funding, commonly referred to as earmarks, to be published on the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget’s (DTMB) website. The new requirement would apply to grant requests originating in both the House and Senate, ensuring full public access to how funds are allocated and why.

“This bill puts transparency into action,” said Kunse. “Taxpayers shouldn’t have to dig through spreadsheets or insider knowledge to find out how their money is being spent. It ensures that every grant is documented and visible to the public from day one.”

Currently, while the Legislature often includes millions of dollars in earmarks for specific local initiatives, there is no lasting requirement that those details be made easily and permanently accessible to the public. HB 4420 would close that gap by establishing clear, permanent guidelines for public disclosure.

Earlier this year, the House adopted an internal rule requiring full disclosure of earmarks before any budget bill can pass. The policy mandates naming the sponsoring legislator, identifying the project’s recipient, outlining the public benefit, and barring grants from going to for-profit entities, new nonprofits, or groups connected to the legislator. However, that rule remains a procedural requirement that a future majority could undo.

“Putting this policy into statute means it doesn’t disappear with a change in leadership,” said Kunse. “This is about building a culture of accountability that lasts beyond any one legislature. Transparency shouldn’t be temporary. It should be the standard.”