Abbott veto reason shows the real problem we face in Austin: The local government lobby.

Robert Pratt

One of the bills Governor Abbott vetoed, prior to Sunday’s deadline to veto bills was SB744 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst. The bill was an attempt to limit local government from telling you what you can or cannot do with your trees on your property.

Governor Abbott has spoken strongly on the issue of local government overreach through regulation and he has added this very issue about trees to his list of items for the upcoming special session of the legislature.

So then, why did Abbott veto SB744 by Kolkhorst?

The answer demonstrates the biggest problem taxpayers face in Austin. Local governments make up the largest, most well funded, and most influential part of the professional lobby. They use your money to lobby against your interests, your freedom, and your pocketbook.

The governor wrote in his veto statement that the bill imposed minor restriction on some municipal tree ordinances. “But in doing so, it gives the imprimatur of state law to the municipal micromanagement of private property, which should be abolished altogether. This bill was well-intentioned, but by the end of the legislative process it actually ended up doing more to protect cities than it did to protect the rights of property owners.”

In other words, the power of the local government lobby was able to change the nature of the bill to more protect the rights of local government to abuse you than to protect you from such abuse.

Until most representatives and senators understand they are elected to represent the citizenry, not other organs of government, this will continue to be our biggest enemy in Austin.