IL spends $6.2 million on taxpayer-funded lobbying

State and local governments are not transparent in how taxpayer dollars are spent and the people’s business is conducted. An especially good example is taxpayer funded lobbying.

Taxpayer-funded lobbying is the use of public funds to lobby for even more taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers pay twice for this: not only do their hard earned dollars pay to hire lobbyists, but citizens must also foot the bill for the increased government spending resulting from the “successes” of these special interests.

Most citizens have no idea that tax dollars are spent to hire lobbyists because without affirmative disclosure laws, taxpayer-funded lobbying is rarely shared with citizens or journalists. Only through time consuming (and frequently frustrating) Freedom of Information Act requests is this information pried from the government.

Beginning in March, 2010, Sunshine Review sent Freedom of Information Act requests to all 102 Illinois counties. In an analysis released this week, data from the 10 most populous counties alone shows $6.2 million dollars spent between 2005 and 2010.

The Sunshine Review analysis looked at lobbying contracts and membership in taxpayer-funded lobbying associations. Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations are groups that are funded at least in part by public dollars. In turn, they lobby for the collective interests of government bodies. In total, 31 lobbyists represent the counties, and the counties hold at least 69 memberships to taxpayer-funded lobbying associations.

What’s needed is a higher standard of transparency in state and local government. State legislation and local ordinances requiring affirmative disclosure—not only in Illinois but around the country—would help citizens scrutinize spending.

Government transparency saves money: it prevents fraud and it brings light to questionable spending. Perhaps the $6.2 million spent in lobbying by Illinois counties is justifiable. But who is to say? The people who can truly answer that question, citizens, are being denied their voice in government by having this information kept from them.

Visit Sunshine Review for more information and for county specific data.

• Champaign County
• Cook County
• DuPage County
• Kane County
• Lake County
• McHenry County
• McLean County
• Peoria County
• Will County
• Winnebago County

This was also posted on State Budget Solutions.