North Michigan News

State Rep. Parker Fairbairn has introduced a bill aimed at increasing public access to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC). The legislation, presented on Wednesday, would require the NRC to livestream all of its meetings and maintain an online archive where past meetings are searchable by date and subject.

Fairbairn emphasized the importance of transparency given the commission’s authority over hunting, trapping, and sportfishing regulations in Michigan. “The Natural Resources Commission has exclusive authority to regulate hunting, trapping and sportfishing in Michigan, and the discussions they hold and the votes that they take have a direct impact on some of Michigan’s most cherished traditions – not to mention an $11 billion sector of the state’s annual economy and the 170,000 jobs it supports,” said Fairbairn. “A public body with this much power and influence needs to be much more easily accessible to the public.”

House Bill 4822 is supported by Fairbairn and several lawmakers from northern Michigan. The proposed requirements include broadcasting all public meetings live, posting viewing links at least 24 hours before each meeting, and ensuring that archived recordings can be searched by both date and topic through the NRC website.