Freedom Agenda

Leading By Example

• Full Financial Disclosure: As Governor, John James will publicly disclose all of his personal finances, using the same standard under which he disclosed his finances during his service in Congress. John will require the same standard for all senior appointed officials in the executive branch and will call upon the legislature and judiciary to adopt that same standard.
• End FOIA Exemptions: As Governor, John James will support legislation to open the records of the Governor’s office, the entire executive branch, and the state legislature to public scrutiny by ending the exemption from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
• Ethics Clauses: As Governor, John James will require ethics clauses to be included in every employment agreement in his administration.

Rooting Out Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

• Comprehensive Audit: Conduct a comprehensive audit of all state government expenditures for the past ten years – including MEDC, MDHHS, and COVID-19 handouts – to root out fraud, waste, and abuse, such as what was recently discovered on a massive scale in Minnesota.
• Investigate Unemployment Fraud: Investigate the $8 billion unemployment fraud scandal. Demand preservation of all records.
• Fund the Auditor General: Fully fund the state auditor general’s office (in contrast to Whitmer’s attempt to cut $8.3 million from the auditor general).
• Strengthen Whistleblower Protections: Strengthen whistleblower protections for state employees – including confidentiality protections against retaliation – and increase financial rewards and upward mobility opportunity for state employees identifying and reporting waste, fraud, and abuse.
• Audit Voter Rolls: Conduct a comprehensive independent audit of Michigan’s voter rolls to eliminate non-citizens from voting and from being summoned for jury duty.
• Investigate Ghost Employees: Investigate and root out “ghost” employees.
• Benson Website Investigation: Investigate the $9 million contract for Jocelyn Benson’s botched campaign finance and lobbying disclosure website debacle.

Ending the Revolving Door & Closing Loopholes

• Ban Session Fundraising: Ban all fundraising by state officials during legislative session. Prohibit all state officials and their staff members from soliciting or receiving campaign contributions while the legislature is in session. This practice is the law in at least 15 other states, including Florida and Texas.
• Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying: Ban taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures by public entities. Every public entity in Michigan is already represented by state legislators. Stop ripping off taxpayers by spending public funds on hiring multi-client lobbyists and on dues to special interest associations.
• Limit Earmarks: Limit legislative budget earmarks to be allowed only when there is a budget surplus and increase the required advance disclosure of earmarks to a period of 90 days prior to a legislative vote.
• End the Revolving Door: Ban all state legislators and statewide elected officials from becoming lobbyists for four years after they leave office. Ban state elected officials, their staff members, and their immediate family from lobbying for any entity with interest before state government.
• Close Gift Ban Loopholes: Close loopholes in the gift ban for Michigan legislators and staff.
• Tighten Conflict-of-Interest Laws: Prohibit elected officials from directing public grants to organizations tied to personal or romantic relationships, and from destroying or concealing public records to evade oversight.
• Increase Penalties: Increase criminal penalties for use of government employees or resources for political purposes.
• Mandatory Ethics Training: Impose mandatory ethics training for all state government staff.
• Ban NDAs: Prohibit Michigan public officials from signing non-disclosure agreements in their official capacity with any private entities.

Phase 1: Review & Transparency

• Establish an independent commission to audit all COVID-era enforcement actions, including citations, fines, license suspensions, and shutdowns.
• Focus on identifying excessive penalties, inconsistent application of rules, and violations of due process.
• Open a public submission portal for individuals and businesses to report their experiences and request inclusion in the review.
• Publish a Public Accountability Report that outlines enforcement patterns, identifies double standards, and names cases where public officials broke their own rules.

Phase 2: Relief & Remedy

This phase is about justice for those who were wronged—not for defying laws, but for standing up for common sense and freedom when it mattered most.

• Automatically clear non-violent, low-level, or first-time COVID citations—especially those related to mask mandates, distancing rules, or business capacity limits that were later shown to be ineffective.
• Refund or cancel fines for individuals and small businesses that acted in good faith but were caught in the web of unclear or unfair rules.
• Offer full clemency and record-clearing for unresolved enforcement actions, especially those rooted in arbitrary or unscientific mandates.
• Maintain a public portal for people to seek relief, restitution, or correction of COVID-related enforcement records.

Phase 3: Legislative Reform & Trust Restoration

The CLEAR Legislative Package will prevent future overreach, protect civil liberties, and ensure equal treatment—especially during emergencies.

• Emergency Power Limits: Require legislative approval to extend emergency orders beyond 14 days, and implement sunset clauses to prevent unchecked executive authority.
• Due Process Protections: Prohibit penalties without clear legal standards, guaranteed appeal rights, and legislative oversight.
• Enforcement Standards: Establish clear, consistent enforcement guidelines to prevent politically motivated or selective crackdowns.
• Equal Rights in Emergencies: Enshrine in law that Michiganders retain the same constitutional rights during emergencies as they do at all other times.
• CLEAR Restitution Fund: Create a fund to support small businesses and individuals financially harmed by shutdowns, unjust penalties, or prolonged loss of licenses.
• Reform MDHHS: Reform MDHHS influence over County Health Departments.