Today, the full Texas Senate overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 175, a bill to prevent local governments from spending tax dollars to hire lobbyists to advocate for more spending, higher taxes, and bigger budgets.
“Texans value liberty, limited government, and personal freedom. Yet, local governments put those things in jeopardy when they spend tax dollars to hire lobbyists to argue for government-friendly legislation at the Texas Capitol. They’re using the public’s money against the public’s best interests,” said James Quintero, policy director for TPPF’s Government for the People campaign. “Local governments are spending tens of millions on this bad practice too. In fact, cities, counties, school districts, and special districts spent as much as $75 million in 2021 to lobby the legislature against taxpayer interests.”