It is essential for the government to be open and transparent in order to represent citizens and be held accountable to the will of the people. Oklahoma has failed to achieve this.

Taxpayer-funded lobbying is a systemic problem through which hard-earned tax dollars are used by government entities to hire lobbyists who then work to secure more of our tax dollars. Such lobbyists aren't necessary for government to function. After all, we elect policy-makers whose jobs are to defend and represent the interests of their constituents. And we pay property taxes and other local taxes to improve our neighborhoods and communities, not to support bigger government or oppose taxpayer protections.

Most taxpayers probably aren't aware that government entities in Oklahoma such as school boards and districts, cities, counties, public utilities, colleges and universities employ registered lobbyists whose goals center on getting the state government to spend more money. Even as taxpayers are creating value through their work, governments use tax dollars to oppose citizens' desire for smaller government and lower taxes by seeking more money to bloat their budgets.

On top of the complicated nature of this beast, Oklahoma ethics rules are relatively lax when it comes to disclosure requirements. Lobbyists are required to annually register themselves and reveal who is employing them, but not how much they're being paid for their services. Based on lobbying disclosure laws, the Center for Public Integrity ranked Oklahoma 42nd in the nation.

Improving disclosure rules is vital to exposing the widespread problem of taxpayer-funded lobbying. Americans for Prosperity attempted to conduct a study that measured the extent of the problem in Oklahoma, but the necessary information was unavailable. This is unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent, especially when money is being used to hire lobbyists who then negotiate spending favors from one level of government to another.

The Ethics Commission report indicates there are currently 79 registered lobbyists representing 54 publicly funded entities, from universities to cities to transit authorities to school associations. All of these lobbyists are funded with tax dollars, yet many of them lobby against our principles. How much money is being allocated to taxpayer-funded lobbyists isn't available because disclosure of the terms of these contracts isn't required.

Tax dollars should never be used to hire lobbyists who in turn lobby for bigger government and against taxpayer protections. Government organizations have two choices: take tax dollars and provide neutral information, or decline public money and lobby.

It's time to expose the problem of taxpayer-funded lobbying by requiring that the terms of lobbying contracts be included in the Oklahoma Ethics Commission Report. With this information, citizens can at least be made aware of the extent to which their tax dollars are being used against them.

Original Article at http://newsok.com/article/3114444/.