Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
On the one hand this bill would support our limited government principle by prohibiting a member of Congress, a member of the legislature, or a holder of a statewide office from registering as a lobbyist.
However, we are concerned about the provision which prevents people whose work requires them to register as lobbyists from running for office. We agree that elected officials should not be lobbyists, but this provision prevents a person who is not yet an elected official from being eligible to run for office if they are a registered lobbyist. This is problematic in its own right as it discriminates against people running for office based on their profession or on a condition of their employment. An amendment to strip this provision from SB 503 would make the bill stronger. Should such an amendment be adopted we would support passage of the bill.