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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exposed: How Texans' Tax Dollars Fund Political Agendas
When state Sen. Mayes Middleton sponsored a bill to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, he hoped it would end the use of peoples' money against their own interests. 'For too long, taxpayers' and parents' own tax dollars have been used to lobby against them in Austin,' Middleton said in a statement to The Dallas Express. Middleton, a Republican, introduced SB 19 in the state Senate in February, aiming to ban public bodies from hiring lobbyists. 'These taxpayer-funded lobbyists have squandered millions of dollars of your hard-earned dollars to lobby against border security, election integrity, parental choice in education, teacher pay raises, and even fought against property tax relief and reform,' Middleton said in the statement. Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare endorsed Middleton's proposed ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying in February. 'It's time for Texas to put a stop to using our tax dollars for special interest lobbying,' he posted at the time. Close to $100 million in public funds is spent each year on taxpayer-funded lobbying, according to Middleton. Public bodies across Texas spent up to $98.6 million in 2023 – up from $75 million in 2021 – to hire 'contract lobbyists,' according to a report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. James Quintero, policy director of the group's Taxpayer Protection Project, wrote that these numbers fail to 'capture the full weight of taxpayer-funded lobbying.' He added that local governments also use tax dollars to hire 'in-house lobbyists' and pay membership dues to 'politically active groups that represent political subdivisions to the legislature.' Quintero wrote that it is 'more difficult to quantify' these kinds of lobbying due to the large volume of information. 'The practice of T[axpayer] F[unded] L[obbying] is being utilized by local governments to lobby state government for more government – and in a decidedly leftwing direction,' Quintero wrote. 'It is tantamount to the weaponization of public money against the public interest, for the benefit of a select few.' Groups like the Texas Association of School Boards used 'school tax dollars' to protect men going into girls' restrooms and locker rooms, and invited 'transgender advocates' to train school board members on pronouns, Middleton said. In the past, the TASB reportedly helped block school choice. The TASB uses 'taxpayer-funded' lobbying, and it spent up to $1.89 million as of the '2024 election season,' according to Transparency USA. Since 2015, the group has spent up to $6.8 million. Its 'advocacy agenda' is off-limits to the public. The TASB denounced efforts to ban lobbying with public money: 'Prohibiting Local Governments from Lobbying is Community Censorship.' Dallas directed more than $1 million to its 'internal lobbyists,' which support legislation it says 'protect[s] the rights of all vulnerable communities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, youth, seniors, and refugees.' Fort Worth supports legislation that would 'prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.' Other large cities across Texas also fund lobbyists with public money. Austin uses its 'public-private team of lobbyists' to 'actively support legislation' backed by the city council, like 'pay-equity, education-equity, housing-equity, and health-equity.' Houston supports measures 'strengthening local governments' regulatory authority over energy industry participants.' San Antonio's Government Affairs Department pushes legislation supporting 'health equity and social justice.' Middleton's ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying – backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – passed the state Senate in March but ultimately died in the state House. Before it passed the first chamber, Republican state Sen. Robert Nichols introduced an amendment that gutted the bill. This removed the ban on public dollars for nonprofits that hire lobbyists and created carve-outs for nonprofits. TASB is a nonprofit, so this would have exempted the group from the public lobbying ban. 'Time and time again, we have seen taxpayer-funded lobbyists advocate against Texans and against common sense,' Middleton said in a statement. 'We don't need an Austin lobbyist middleman between state and local elected officials. We are elected to represent our constituents directly.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robinson ISD named winner in TASB video contest
ROBINSON / AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 44) – The Robinson Independent School District has been named a winner in the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Student Video Contest! The district ranked as one of the top three winners of this contest, which is held every two years. The competition is designed to showcase the strength and success of Texas public schools through promotional videos with students as the stars. Robinson ISD's video focuses on character and the traits which embody a Robinson student. You can view it below. A prize of $5,000 will be awarded to the district, in addtion to Tyler ISD and Santa Maria ISD, who all placed first in their category based on creativity, message, and technical quality: · Tyler ISD: Large district or 5,001 or more students · Robinson ISD: Medium district or 501-5,000 students · Santa Maria ISD: Small district or no greater than 500 students Robinson ISD says a total of 41 videos from districts across the state were submitted for consideration by a panel of six judges. Students who created the video and the teachers will be honored at the Robinson ISD Board meeting on May 19 at 6 p.m. in the Robinson Junior High Library. For more information about the contest and to view the winning videos, you can visit the TASB website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
