Undeterred by a push in the Texas Legislature to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, a Dallas City Council committee unanimously voted to renew two-year contracts worth $1.3 million with outside state and federal lobbyists on Tuesday to advocate for funding and policies on behalf of the city.
The final approval is contingent upon the majority of the City Council greenlighting the contracts, and it is unclear when House lawmakers in the Texas Legislature will debate Senate Bill 12, which seeks to bar cities, counties and school districts from hiring lobbyists or organizations they say are instrumental in navigating nearly 11,000 bills progressing through the legislature.
Senate lawmakers passed the bill last week, but House lawmakers did not have a quorum this week after a contingent of House Democrats left Texas and broke quorum to prevent the Republican-controlled legislature from adopting a new congressional map that would flip five Democratic seats in Congress to Republican.
In Dallas’ council chambers, much of the discussion was centered around the benefits of having outside experts, often with deep expertise and relationships with the most powerful lawmakers and executives. Officials pushed back against the notion that the city was using public dollars to sway legislators for things that didn’t align with residents’ needs, especially when it comes to taxation.
Political Points
“When they say that we’re down there trying to increase taxes on our folks? Well, we literally wrote a letter encouraging them to increase the tax exemption. So no, we’re not doing that,” council member Cara Mendelsohn, who chairs the ad hoc legislative affairs committee.
“We are truly giving voice to our residents, and that’s why it’s important, hopefully, that (the bill) does not pass,” she said.
Dallas has spent $794,000 on state lobbyists over the past two years, and brought back $233 million in state appropriations since 1995, according to updated figures from city officials. These include millions of dollars for homeless services, $25 million for the new police academy, and money to restore structures in Fair Park.
The bill would not impact private businesses and special interest groups that use their muscle and unlimited budgets to push policy. It also excludes law enforcement associations that hire lobbyists and charter schools, which are funded by public school dollars but run privately.