D.C. lobbying in hot seat

Utah's cities, towns and counties should not be paying Washington, D.C., lobbyists big money — more than $775,000 a year — in an attempt to get Congress to fund their pet road construction projects and other programs.

So believes Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, who will introduce a bill in next month's Legislature to stop the practice of hiring lobbyists to work on "earmarking" federal funds for local governments' projects.

Dougall's effort brings forth all kinds of questions, from free speech to local government autonomy. But Dougall says the current hodgepodge of lobbying on Utah issues in D.C. is a mess.

"I don't want Provo, for example, going to Congress to lobby for a road project that should be coordinated through UDOT (the Utah Department of Transportation)," said Dougall. "My bill will say (local governments) can't spend money on federal lobbyists lobbying Congress for earmarking."

Provo, indeed, was lobbying Congress on its airport connection road this year. The city is spending $52,050 on federal lobbyists this year, a Utah Taxpayers Association study shows.

Dougall's bill won't attempt to restrict local government officials themselves from contacting their congressmen or others in Congress seeking help. It will just prohibit the spending of local funds to hire professional lobbyists — most likely expensive D.C. lobbying firms — to do the work.

"That connection road is very important to us," said Raylene Ireland, spokeswoman for Provo Mayor Lewis Billings. "It's a huge issue for us to expand our airport."

Provo has for years contracted with D.C. lobbyist Pat Jordan & Associates, but Billings does much of the work with Utah's congressional delegation himself, said Ireland.

The recent Utah Taxpayers Association report shows that among the state's largest 30 cities and counties, $776,827 is being spent this year on congressional lobbying contracts.

The amount spent on federal lobbying by local governments is not Dougall's main complaint, although he says: "We're seeing that the money spent on federal lobbying is growing quickly — and I believe it is time to step in" and slow or stop that spending.

Lobbyist contracts aside, Dougall's real complaint is what that spending is aimed at.

"As a state, we need to speak with one voice on federal earmarking of funds for the state," said Dougall. "We don't want everyone going their own way."

Some UDOT officials have the same worry, sources said.