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MI Legislature had over $600K in confidential severance deals

Neither chamber disclosed details of the deals, citing their confidential nature.

Credit: AP

ADVANCE FOR JAN. 11- FILE- In a Dec. 12, 2012 file photo, the state capitol building is seen in Lansing, Mich. Braced for a new era of divided government, lame-duck Republicans who have long controlled two upper Midwest states are priming last-ditch laws to advance their conservative agenda or to weaken the influence of Democratic governors-elect. The moves, which may spark lawsuits if they come to pass, would follow midterm elections in which Democrats swept statewide offices in Michigan and Wisconsin for the first time in decades but fell short of taking over gerrymandered legislatures(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, FILE)

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Legislature, where majority Republicans have blasted Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over severance payments to top officials, has disclosed more than $600,000 in separation agreements or legal settlements over the past decade.

The bulk of the payouts, $632,000, involved 30 separation deals in the Senate since 2010. Individual payments weren't released.

Three House agreements, totaling nearly $60,000, settled legal disputes with terminated employees since 2013. Neither chamber disclosed details of the deals, citing their confidential nature.

The Legislature is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act but releases financial records under legislative rules and the state constitution.

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