HB 433 is a government disclosure and transparency bill that requires local governments to detail the amount of taxpayer funds used to lobby the Legislature. It would greatly simplify the process of understanding how much taxpayer money local government is paying to influence the Legislature. It would also improve the accuracy of such assessments.
When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...