A look at local government and the constitutional right to petition government for a redress of grievances.
Some in Texas would like to minimize the ability of local governments to use lobbyists to effectively argue for their interests at the state level.
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Texas lawmakers have filed several bills relating to reforming the role of lobbying in the state government as some local officials are concerned about their voices being heard at a state level.
As of Jan. 30, a total of 11 bills have been filed relating to lobbying in the state House and Senate, with two being attached to Texas District 11 Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Wallisville, who represents Brazoria, Galveston and a part of Harris counties. The Texas Ethics Commission defines lobbying as “making direct communications with members of the legislative or executive branch of Texas state government to influence legislation or administrative action.”
Middleton filed a bill with a description stating “Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities,” and another one described as “Relating to lobbying by former members of the legislature; creating a criminal offense.” He described the topic as an important issue for him for this legislative session.
“What [lobbying] does is it diminishes [voters’] voice, because someone's paying to lobby against the things that you believe in with your property taxes,” Middleton said.
Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole said it is important for the city of Pearland’s voice to be heard by lawmakers in Austin. He said he and the council rely on the Texas Municipal League, or TML, as a third party for vouching for the city’s needs at a state government level.
For more:
- Legislation to Ban Taxpayer-funded Lobbying Filed in the Texas Senate.
- Lobbying in Texas - A Guide to the Texas Law.
- State Law Resources - Texas: Lobbying Disclosure.
