The chief stewards of the Texas Republican Party agenda have been unrelenting in their efforts to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying. Texas Senate Republicans, a Republican Party resolution, and both Governor Abbott’s special session proclamations voice the same battle-cry – “taxpayer funded lobbying must be banned.” Unfortunately, these unified voices have failed to produce legislation which bans taxpayer-funded lobbying or even to persuade House Republicans to agree.

Traditionally, lobbying refers to efforts to persuade a legislator to influence the legislator’s vote. Unfortunately, Texas school boards, city governments, other political subdivisions and government agencies routinely use taxpayer money to employ lobbyists or hire private ones. The number of associations and organizations which

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