By Mike Kruzman /news@whmi.com


A local legislator’s bill for better protecting veterans’ privacy has been signed into law.

State Senator Lana Theis of Brighton Township’s bill that exempts military veterans’ sensitive information from Open Meetings Act requirements in circumstances was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Thursday.

Currently, when a veteran or a dependent of theirs applies for aid through the local county veterans services office, the local veterans' board or committee often has to interview them during an open meeting. Many times the line of questioning they are subjected to often forces them to publicly reveal personal and sensitive financial, medical and health information. The bill, which is now Public Act 31 of 2021, allows veterans and dependents to answer these questions in a closed session, better protecting their privacy.

Theis said, in a release, that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy when it comes to sensitive information, and until now, military veterans have often been forced to reveal that information when applying for benefits they have earned through their service. She thanked her colleagues for their strong bipartisan support and Whitmer for signing the bill.