THE PROBLEM
Local governments should work for the taxpayers who elect them. Unfortunately, through the practice of taxpayer-funded contract lobbying, that is not always the case. Local government entities like county commissions and school boards frequently hire contract lobbyists on the taxpayers’ dime to fight legislation that would benefit the very taxpayers who fund them. For example, local governments lobby against sound fiscal policies like property tax caps that would benefit their constituents, and one Tennessee school district recently used $90,000 of taxpayer funds meant to support fast growth to hire private lobbyists to influence the state legislature rather than benefit students and teachers. While private companies are required by law to disclose how much money they spend on contract lobbyists, surprisingly, local government entities are not.
OUR SOLUTION
Tennessee stands for ensuring the responsible, limited, and transparent spending of taxpayer dollars. That’s why local government entities should be required to publicly report how much they are spending on contract lobbyists, just like private companies are required to do. According to recent Beacon Polldata, 72 percent of Tennessee voters believe local governments should not be able to hire contract lobbyists. Requiring these disclosures will provide Tennesseans with transparency and another important tool for holding their local government accountable.
HOW IT WORKS
This bill includes local government entities in the definition of “employer of a lobbyist” in law, therefore requiring them to follow the same lobbyist spending disclosure rules as private companies.
STATUS: The bill has been filed as SB 2264 (Lowe) / HB 2073 (Reeves)