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Ending taxpayer-funded lobbying has been a chief concern for the grassroots conservative movement here in Texas for years. But despite their efforts, rather than getting better, the problem seems to have gotten much worse.
According to a study carried out by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, between 2017 and 2025, the amount of money spent on taxpayer-funded lobbying may have as much as doubled.
Brandon Waltens with Texas Scorecard spoke about the issue, saying: “The amount that taxpayers are spending on this is now as much as $111 million. This is a big problem, and it’s getting bigger.”
So why hasn’t anything been done in the time between the 85th and 89th legislative sessions? That’s still somewhat unclear, but it’s not for a lack of trying. “Governor Abbott put this issue on his special session call last summer. Despite that, this is something that has now passed the Senate multiple times but has been killed in the House,” Waltens explained.
Waltens also says much of that money was spent opposing things like property tax relief and reform bills, which in turn allows various municipalities—like school districts, cities, and counties—to collect more money and then spend more on lobbying against reforms.