FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Peggy Venable at 512/476-5905

(Austin-TX) – On the heels of today’s House General Investigating and Ethics Committee hearing to consider a charge by House Speaker Tom Craddick to study taxpayer-funded lobbying, Americans for Prosperity-Texas (AFP-TX) State Director Peggy Venable issued the following statement:

“Taxpayers should not be forced to finance lobbying activities. Taxpayer-funded groups lobby for more of our tax dollars. It is a vicious cycle, and it’s fiscally, morally, and ethically wrong.

Allowing the government to spend taxpayer funds on lobbying transforms the government from its appropriate role as neutral policymaker into an advocate of certain policies and ideologies. Most taxpayers don’t even realize that they are funding lobbying activities, which are often aggressive efforts aimed at defeating important taxpayer protections.

Although the bright light of public scrutiny can be a powerful disinfectant, a prohibition on taxpayer-funded lobbying is the only reform that will eradicate this infection. Until we are rid of this scourge, the voices of taxpayers will be overshadowed by powerful entities and hired guns funded – ironically – by taxpayers’ very own tax dollars.

As the voice of the Texas taxpayer, Americans for Prosperity-Texas will be working to end the practice of using our hard-earned tax dollars for lobbying.”

Americans for Prosperity-Texas has been at the vanguard of this issue and will support legislative efforts to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying activities. Meanwhile, several of the group’s grassroots activists, including Venable, have sued Williamson County for using tax funds to join associations that lobby.

House Speaker Craddick specifically charged the Committee to “Research, review, and investigate the expenditures of taxpayer money by local government and school boards to lobby the Legislature. Research, review, and investigate attempts by school district officials to skirt competitive bidding requirements with respect to facility renovation and construction contracts, and other contracts, through the use of improper procurement contracts with associations or other school districts.”