Tax Dollars for Lobbying?
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 By Marc KilmerThe Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO) has been a big supporter of the push to ban short-term loans, aka payday lending. There’s nothing wrong with individuals banding together as an organization to lobby government. That’s the essence of the First Amendment. But is it proper for taxpayer-supported organizations to do so? Or, to put it another way, should organizations to which you, as a taxpayer, are forced to hand over your money be pursuing a political agenda?
COHHIO receives a significant portion of its funding from government grants. Now, according to its tax forms (available if you are a member of Guidestar), it spent almost $500,000 in 2006 on lobbying. That’s more than it spent on “training and technical assistance” to help the homeless. Now, I’m sure there are requirements that the money it gets from the government is kept separate from its lobbying money and that COHHIO has the proper firewalls between funding sources. I’m not accusing them of breaking any laws. I’m concerned about the wider issues here. The government funds, at the very minimum, support the overhead and salary of COHHIO officials. Without these funds, COHHIO would have a difficult time doing its work, whether that is lobbying or providing “training and technical assistance” on homelessness issues.
You have no choice but to support COHHIO’s work. Even if you disagree with them, they get your money. Is that right? Is it right that a group gets taxpayer dollars and that this group may be working against your interests before the General Assembly?
Tags: lobbying, payday lending
