Local Government Lobbying Investigation

The House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics has been instructed by Speaker Tom Craddick to “research, review and investigate the expenditures of taxpayer money by local government and school boards to lobby the Legislature.” The investigation is being conducted by Rep. Ken Paxton, a Republican from McKinney, who is also a strong supporter of appraisal and revenue caps.
This sudden concern over local government lobbying appears to be related to the heightened visibility of local government officials, their representatives, and their associations in the recent legislative sessions. The spirited opposition by local officers to unfunded mandates and appraisal and revenue caps was definitely noticed by the legislative leaderships. Apparently, some would prefer to muzzle the voices of local officials and proceed without input from these representatives of local taxpayers.
Momentum for the effort to quiet local officials is being provided by the self-described taxpayer organization, Americans for Prosperity. This organization has declared itself to be the exclusive spokesperson for taxpayers and vigorously promotes appraisal and revenue caps. While other established organizations, like the Texas Association of Taxpayers and the Texas Association of Realtors, continue to oppose appraisal caps, Americans for Prosperity has attacked local government officials and their organizations for addressing the issue. This group has called upon the Legislature to enact a complete ban on the expenditure of local government funds for communication with the Legislature.
Certainly we would all prefer to preserve taxpayer funds for essential services. However, legislators are not experts in local government. If local officials and their associations do not provide accurate information and expert analysis on proposed legislation, the outcome will be detrimental to the taxpayers. Unless we provide some balance, special interest groups will exercise greater influence over the process. The Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Amarillo Globe have recently recognized the importance of preserving local government input in the process through registered lobbyists when necessary. Please request that your legislators resist any attempt to silence local officials and their organizations.
For more information, please call me at 1-800-733-0699.
Jim Allison, General Counsel CJCAT