Estimated Time to Read: 7 minutes
In Texas politics, few issues unite fiscal conservatives, transparency advocates, and everyday taxpayers like the desire to end taxpayer-funded lobbying. Yet, despite consistent public polling showing strong support for a ban—and years of attempts in the Texas Senate—the measure remains stalled once again in the Texas House.
This session’s bill, Senate Bill 19 (SB 19) by State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), aimed to ban cities, counties, school districts, and other political subdivisions from using public funds to hire registered lobbyists or fund associations that engage in lobbying activities. While it passed the Texas Senate, it did so with a weakening amendment—one that carved out an exemption for nonprofit associations that represent local governments. That change, pushed by State Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville), gutted the bill’s original intent and made it more palatable to those seeking to preserve the status quo.
Still, even in this diluted form, the bill hasn’t moved in the Texas House. Despite being referred to the House State Affairs Committee—chaired by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), who himself signed a pledge before the session to support such an effort—it has yet to receive a hearing. Meanwhile, House leadership, particularly House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), has previously joint-authored efforts to ban the practice and recently expressed public support for this session’s version.
Why Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Is a Problem
As we have previously detailed, the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying leads to:
- Conflicts of Interest: Local governments are lobbying for more tax revenue, more regulatory leeway, and fewer state limits—not necessarily what taxpayers want.
- Lack of Transparency: Most Texans have no idea their city or ISD is paying six-figure sums to contract lobbyists or fund lobbying associations like the Texas Municipal League or the Texas Association of School Boards.
- Misallocation of Public Funds: Every tax dollar spent lobbying is one less spent on core services like roads, classrooms, or emergency response.
- Erosion of Public Trust: When taxpayers discover that their money is being used against their interests, cynicism and disengagement grow.
Several particularly egregious examples have recently come to light. In one case, school board members were advised to “utilize compensation as a weapon” in political advocacy—demonstrating just how entrenched and strategic taxpayer-funded lobbying has become, even in public education.
Political History: A Pattern of Delay and Defeat
This issue is not new. In fact, versions of this legislation have been filed for four straight sessions, and in each, House leadership has served as the main obstacle:
- 86th Session (2019): Then-State Rep. Mayes Middleton filed the original bill. It passed House State Affairs (chaired by State Rep. Dade Phelan), but it was killed in the House Calendars Committee.
- 87th Session (2021): Middleton filed the bill again; the bill never received a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee. A separate, weaker Senate version passed through the same committee but ultimately died in the House due to delay tactics by the House Sponsor, effectively killing his own bill.
- 88th Session (2023): SB 175 again passed the Senate but never received a hearing in House State Affairs, chaired by Rep. Todd Hunter, who has voted against similar efforts in past sessions, despite the then-House Speaker Dade Phelan previously joint-authoring the bill.
- 89th Session (2025): SB 19 passes the Senate (albeit amended) and has sat untouched in House State Affairs ever since.
What’s clear is that while the Senate repeatedly signals a willingness to restrict taxpayer-funded lobbying, the House repeatedly kills the effort—often without even granting it a public hearing. The result is a closed-loop system: taxpayers pay lobbyists, who lobby to keep taxpayer-funded lobbying legal.
Ongoing Legislative Efforts
In the current session, SB 19 aimed to prohibit political subdivisions from using public funds to hire registered lobbyists or pay dues to organizations that lobby the Legislature. After passing the Senate with an amendment that weakened its original purpose, the bill was referred to the House State Affairs Committee and has since stalled.
SB 19 – Brief Timeline
| Legislative Day | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 38 of 140 | 2/20/2025 | Filed |
| 38 of 140 | 2/20/2025 | Referred to Senate State Affairs Committee |
| 45 of 140 | 2/27/2025 | Public Hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee |
| 49 of 140 | 3/3/2025 | Passed the Senate State Affairs Committee |
| 65 of 140 | 3/19/2025 | Passed the Senate |
| 66 of 140 | 3/20/2025 | Received in the House |
| 71 of 140 | 3/25/2025 | Referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee |
Public Opinion Is Crystal Clear
Texans overwhelmingly support banning taxpayer-funded lobbying:
- A 2019 poll by WFAA and the Texas Public Policy Foundation showed 88% of Texans oppose taxpayer-funded lobbying.
- A Republican primary ballot proposition in 2020 saw nearly 95% of GOP voters support a ban.
- Bipartisan polling from UT/Texas Tribune in 2022 found that 69% of Texans, across party lines, support a ban.
- The Republican Party of Texas has made banning taxpayer-funded lobbying a top legislative priority in 2020, 2022, and again in 2024.
In short, this issue isn’t controversial outside the Capitol—it’s only controversial within it.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has remained publicly supportive, listing the issue again as a legislative priority. Gov. Greg Abbott, dating back to a 2013 TEA Party event, has also called for banning the practice and reaffirmed his support in 2020.
Ironically, House Speaker Dustin Burrows has also expressed public support in the lead up to this session, despite his chamber’s continued inaction.
Why the House Blocks It: Follow the Money
Opposition to this reform has always centered on local governments, school boards, and their lobbying associations. These entities argue they need a voice in Austin, but the reality is they’re defending institutional power—not taxpayer representation.
Organizations like the Texas Municipal League and Texas Association of School Boards spend millions in taxpayer-funded dues on lobbying each session. Banning this stream of funding would curtail their influence significantly.
Unfortunately, many lawmakers—especially in the House—are more responsive to these groups than to their constituents. The legislative process gives committee chairs and party leadership broad power to quietly kill reforms without ever taking a public vote.
That’s why this bill, despite being broadly popular, keeps dying in the same place.
The Failed Commitment
Notably, Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian), chair of the House State Affairs Committee, signed the Texas Conservative Commitment ahead of the 89th Legislature. That pledge included language committing signatories to “[ban] taxpayer-funded lobbying: prohibit the use of tax dollars to fund lobbyists and ensure tax dollars are not used against the taxpayers’ interest.”
He wasn’t alone—42 other lawmakers signed, including Speaker Dustin Burrows. Yet, the bill still sits unaddressed in King’s committee.
Conclusion: The Time for Accountability Is Now
The issue of taxpayer-funded lobbying cuts to the heart of who the government serves: the people, or itself.
Allowing political subdivisions to use public money to influence state policy undermines democratic accountability, wastes public funds, and entrenches bureaucracy. Texans deserve better.
The Legislature—specifically the House—must decide whether it represents its constituents or protects the interests of publicly funded lobbyists. Until this practice is banned, the conflict of interest will remain.
The 89th Legislature still has a narrow window to act. House committees have until Saturday, May 24th, to pass Senate bills. The full House must act on those bills by Tuesday, May 27th, to keep reform efforts alive.
The clock is ticking.
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