By Free Republic | Created at 2024-12-27 23:22:43 | Updated at 2024-12-28 14:57:55
15 hours ago
Advocates Press for a Ban on Taxpayer-funded Lobbying in 2025 [in Texas]
Texas Scorecard ^ | December 26, 2024 | Sydnie Henry
Posted on 12/27/2024 3:18:17 PM PST by JeepersFreepers
With the Legislature set to convene in the coming weeks, fiscal responsibility advocates are pressing for lawmakers to follow through on a ban to end taxpayer-funded lobbying.
“Taxpayer-funded lobbying” refers to a common practice among cities, counties, and school districts that hire lobbyists with local tax revenue. These lobbyists then work to advance policies that benefit local governments—often at the expense of citizens.
A 2019 poll from the Texas Public Policy Foundation showed 88 percent of Texans oppose the practice. In addition, the issue is a legislative priority for the Texas GOP this session.
“A ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying has been proposed several times in Austin, and yet the measure has failed to become law,” Andrew McVeigh, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility told Texas Scorecard. “With the issue as an RPT legislative priority and new leadership in Austin, the ban might see the light of day. But only if taxpayers keep up the pressure on their elected Representatives.”
A recent study by the Huffines Liberty Foundation revealed that local governments spent about $75 million on registered lobbyists in 2021, not including the salaries of in-house lobbyists and funds funneled to pro-government associations such as the Texas Municipal League and Texas Association of School Boards—meaning the actual cost of taxpayer-funded lobbying is much higher.
James Quintero, a policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said earlier this year that eliminating taxpayer-funded lobbying is “perhaps the most critical priority.”
He called the practice “the rotten core of a system that uses our own tax dollars against us.”
It is the reason government isn’t more responsible with our dollars and why innovative solutions like school choice get blocked every session. Break the chain of using tax dollars to fund lobbyists and we’ll see Texas thrive even more.
Multiple lawmakers have filed measures to end the practice in 2025.
TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: ban; lobbying; taxpayer; texas
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“A ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying has been proposed several times in Austin, and yet the measure has failed to become law,”
Despite being a Republican priority, Texas House speakers have stopped the ban on taxpayer funded lobbying from becoming law year after year.
Although Texans continue to elect Republican majorities, enough RINOs have joined all Democrats to elect RINO speakers since 2009. These speakers, in turn, appoint Democrats to chair key committees thus enabling the continued blocking of Republican priorities like taxpayer funded lobbying.
House members will elect a new speaker at the beginning of the session in January. David Cook and Dustin Burrows are the candidates. If Cook is elected, he has pledged to end the practice of appointing Democrats to chair committees. On the other hand, Burrows plans to continue the practice and is counting on enough RINOs to join all Democrats to elect him.
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