GRAND RAPIDS — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday signed an executive directive aimed at improving the speed and reducing the cost at which state government agencies respond to requests for public records.

Whitmer, who spoke at lunch time to the annual convention of the Michigan Press Association, said state government "must be open, transparent and accountable to taxpayers," and her Friday directive is "an important step to infuse integrity in governance and earn back public trust."

Slow responses and high costs charged for searching are two major concerns related to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.

Whitmer said the directive "will close loopholes that have been used to slow down the FOIA process."

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Another major concern is that both the governor's office and the Michigan Legislature are not covered by the law. Whitmer's executive directive doesn't change that, but the governor said she would support legislation to extend the law to both her office and state lawmakers.

The executive directive:

Calls for appointment of a transparency liaison within all state agencies to facilitate cost-effective responses to FOIA requests.

Orders the Department of Technology, Management and Budget to devise an online system where public notices and records can be uploaded.

Limits the use of requests for time extensions. State agencies are required by law to respond to FOIA requests within five business days, but they may — and routinely do — request extensions of an additional 10 business days. "Extensions are going to be the exception and not the general rule," she said.

Encourages all responses to FOIA requests to be made by or before the legal deadline and requires agencies to send a notice if it will take longer.

Prohibits state officials from using electronic communication to conduct business during public meetings.

Urges the use of livestreaming to broadcast public meetings anywhere in the state.

Prior legislative efforts to extend the FOIA law to the governor's office and Legislature were held up in the state Senate. Lawmakers have introduced similar legislation this term and say it has a good chance of becoming law.

The Michigan Republican Party said Whitmer's order fell short.

“With a stroke of her pen, Governor Whitmer could bring greater transparency to the governor’s office," said party spokesman Tony Zammit. "Instead she has demonstrated that her campaign was nothing more than rhetoric."

He said that if Whitmer is serious, "she will open up the governor’s office to FOIA immediately, as she promised to do on the campaign trail.”

Whitmer said she could have issued an executive order to extend FOIA to her office, but not to the Legislature.

She said she held off on doing that to create better leverage for a law that will apply to both her office and the Legislature and to assure that the resulting transparency lasts beyond her time in office.

"The sun should sign as brightly on both branches," and a law would ensure "this isn't just a policy for the Whitmer administration," she said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a news release supporting Whitmer's directive.

"The people’s business should never be conducted behind closed doors and we should do everything in our power to respond quickly, efficiently and thoroughly to every Freedom of Information request we get," Nessel said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.