SB29: Vote shows which House members represent voters versus other government officials

Due to the leadership of strong small-government, pro-taxpayer conservatives in both the House and Senate we got a true litmus test recorded vote in the Texas House that well divides wheat from the chaff, or the sheep from the goats, among the Republican members. It was on Senate Bill 29.

SB 29 addressed concerns over local governments taking your money and then using it to lobby against your interests in Austin “by prohibiting the use of public money by certain political subdivisions for specific lobbying activities and requiring the disclosure of amounts spent by these political subdivisions on lobbying activities,” according to the bill analysis.

Voting to support the bill and protect taxpayers from being forced to pay for their own opposition in the halls of the Legislature, voting right, were Lubbock’s Dustin Burrows and John Frullo; former Speaker Craddick of Midland; Odessa’s Landgraf; James Frank of Wichita Falls; Drew Springer of HD 68, and; HD 60’s Mike Lang.

HD 71’s Stan “for-the-Lobby” Lambert

Voters should know that among the Republicans joining with House Democrats to oppose and kill the bill were Abilene’s Stan “for-the-Lobby” Lambert; San Angelo’s Drew Darby; Canadian’s Ken King, and Amarillo’s Four Price and John Smithee.

This bill is among the clearest litmus tests, separate from a red-meat all-for-show issue, upon which we’ve gotten a record vote in the House in years. The vote on this bill, restraining taxpayer funded lobbying against taxpayers, is a beacon telling voters whether their reps principally back them, or whether their reps’ real role in Austin is to back other elected officials.