Enough is enough! Ban taxpayer-funded lobbying! Tell YOUR elected officials and candidates that you want them to join the list of legislators and candidates below who have taken the pledge to ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, where your elected officials use YOUR money to pay lobbyists to lobby your other elected officials against you. Bookmark this page and check back daily to see the latest signatories.
For years and years, many local elected officials across Texas have deceived you about your property taxes, raising them consistently and telling you they weren’t responsible. All the while, they’ve used your tax dollars to pay lobbyists in Austin to convince your legislators to keep the property tax gravy train moving full steam ahead. This is as swampy as it gets, and the elected officials and candidates below are saying, “Enough is enough!”
To learn more about the Texas Property Tax system, and see how the game of Three-Card Monty is played, watch this Property Tax 101 webinar.
The entire issue of taxpayer-funded lobbying is encapsulated in this article, which demonstrates that many in government believe your money isn’t yours–it’s THEIRS.
Not all activity in Austin (or Washington) is lobbying. Educational, informational, and consulting services are legitimate, but if we as local elected officials have to pay a lobbyist to influence your legislators in Austin, rather than picking up the phone and calling them ourselves, we’re doing representative government wrong.
The elected officials below have taken the following pledge to end the practice of Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying:
We, the undersigned, strongly oppose any governmental jurisdiction from hiring contract lobbyists, directly or indirectly, to lobby the Texas Legislature or another governmental jurisdiction. We urge all Texans to help ban taxpayer funded contract lobbying, and encourage local elected officials and their staffs to directly represent Texans’ local interests before the Legislature.
Have YOUR elected officials click here to take the pledge!
Signatories to the Pledge to End Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying:
- Shelby Williams – Plano City Council, Place 5
- Mayes Middleton – Texas House of Representatives, District 23
- Dustin Burrows – Texas House of Representatives, District 83
- Steve Toth – Texas House of Representatives, District 15
- Pat Fallon – Texas State Senate, District 30, and Candidate for U.S. House, CD 4
- Briscoe Cain – Texas House of Representatives, District 128
- Cody Vasut – Candidate for Texas House of Representatives, District 25
- Mike Lang – Texas House of Representatives, District 60
- Kyle Biedermann – Texas House of Representatives, District 73
- Jared Patterson – Texas House of Representatives, District 106
- Cody Harris – Texas House of Representatives, District 8
- Will Metcalf – Texas House of Representatives, District 16
- Tom Oliverson – Texas House of Representatives, District 130
- Cole Hefner – Texas House of Representatives, District 5
- Greg Bonnen – Texas House of Representatives, District 24
- Drew Springer – Texas House of Representatives, District 68, and Candidate for Texas Senate, District 30
- James White – Texas House of Representatives, District 19
- Dade Phelan – Texas House of Representatives, District 21
- Scott Sanford – Texas House of Representatives, District 70
- Candy Noble – Texas House of Representatives, District 89
- Valoree Swanson – Texas House of Representatives, District 150
- Craig Goldman – Texas House of Representatives, District 97
- Matt Schaefer – Texas House of Representatives, District 6
- Dennis Paul – Texas House of Representatives, District 129
- Ben Leman – Texas House of Representatives, District 13
- Jake Ellzey – Candidate for Texas House of Representatives, District 10
- Tom Craddick – Texas House of Representatives, District 82
- Muni Janagarajan – Candidate for Frisco ISD Place 4
- Ti O’Daniel – Candidate for La Porte City Council, At Large-B
- Jeff Leach – Texas House of Representatives, District 67
- Stephanie Klick – Texas House of Representatives, District 91
- Jason Corley – Lubbock County Commissioner PCT 2
- Shelby Slawson – Candidate for Texas House of Representatives, District 59
- Bill Zedler – Texas House of Representatives, District 96
- Matt Shaheen – Texas House of Representatives, District 66
- Andrew Murr – Texas House of Representatives, District 53
- James Frank – Texas House of Representatives, District 69
- Reggie Smith – Texas House of Representatives, District 62
- Jeff Cason – Texas House of Representatives, District 92
- Brooks Landgraf – Texas House of Representatives, District 81
- Jacey Jetton – Candidate for Texas House of Representatives, District 26
- DeWayne Burns – Texas House of Representatives, District 58
- Matt Krause – Texas House of Representatives, District 93
- J.M. Lozano – Texas House of Representatives, District 43
- Jim Murphy – Texas House of Representatives, District 133
- Tony Tinderholt – Texas House of Representatives, District 94
- Bryan Slaton – Texas House of Representatives, District 2
- Ed Thompson – Texas House of Representatives, District 29
- Shelley Luther – Candidate for Texas State Senate, District 30
- Giovanni Capriglione – Texas House of Representatives, District 98
- Marian Knowlton – Candidate for Texas House of Representatives, District 98
- H Scott Apley – Candidate for Dickinson City Council, Pos. 1
- Sai Krishna – Candidate for Frisco City Council, Place 6