$6.4 Million in Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
A report from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform found that taxpayers paid lobbyists nearly $6.4 million to influence their own state government last year.
How much is your local government spending on lobbying contracts? A recent report from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform found that “taxpayers paid lobbyists nearly $6.4 million to influence their own state government last year.” The money was spent by cities, counties, and other public bodies to lobby state government.
Among the report’s findings:
- Lobbying fees paid by governments and public agencies ran from a low of $750 per month to the $18,500 monthly fee paid by the Chicago Transit Authority to a consortium of three lobbying firms under joint contract.
- The five units of government paying the most for lobbying services were the CTA, DuPage County, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (“McPier”), Metra and the City Colleges of Chicago. The five spent a total of $1.3 million on lobbyist contracts, which is 20.8 percent of the total costs identified in the survey.
- Three small Cook County suburbs reported spending far more on contract lobbyists than the City of Chicago. The Village of Bellwood spent $138,500 with four lobbyists or firms; the Village of Crestwood spent $120,000 with one firm; and the City of Countryside spent $90,000. The City of Chicago reported spending $84,000 with one lobbying firm, but city officials said they did not have a contract on file with a second firm that reported Chicago as one of its clients.
- Fifteen public community colleges and universities spent more than $1 million with lobbyists on contract. The City Colleges of Chicago spent the most, contracting with four lobbying firms for a total of $190,986.
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform requested the lobbyist contract information through the Freedom of Information Act, and they noted that one out of 10 surveyed governments missed the deadline for providing the relevant documents.
Illinois should consider following Minnesota’s lead, where the state auditor releases an annual report called the “Local Government Lobbying Services Report.” It provides a “comprehensive report on the costs of lobbying services provided to Minnesota local governments and their associations.” The point of the report is to “inform Minnesota citizens and policy makers on the amount spent by their local governments on lobbying services.” The auditor has collected information since 1989.
Read more about this idea in our 2010 Legislators’ Guide to the Issues entry on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying (page 100).
Illinoisans deserve to know how much of their tax dollars go toward lobbying purposes. Increased transparency will encourage the state, cities, and counties to be vigilant with using advocacy funds in an efficient manner.
Transparency is popular for many good reasons. Illinois citizens—parents, workers, taxpayers, and seniors—deserve a comprehensive program for open books and open access to crucial information. Illinois government should have nothing to hide, and citizens should have nothing to fear from seeking basic information. Nor should they have to jump through hoops to get that information. An annual report of governmental lobbying expenditures would go a long way toward illuminating this spending.