SCPC SAYS PUBLIC PAYING $3 MILLION ON 90 LOBBYISTS

South Carolina taxpayers are spending more than $3 million on lobbyists, according to a board member of the South Carolina Policy Council.

Deedee Vaughters penned a piece in the Aiken Standard this week claiming that, of 382 lobbyists that work at the Statehouse, 90 are paid directly by taxpayers.

What exactly does this mean? This means that taxpayer dollars are spent in the practice of lobbying for more taxpayer dollars on an agenda which the taxpayer may not agree with and did not vote for.

To make this a little simpler, your tax dollars are spent to pay the salary, benefits, and expense accounts for individuals whose goal is take more of your tax dollars for their organizations and agencies. Many of these lobbyists are paid six figure incomes; one as much as $221,500. Doesn’t this sound like a conflict of interest?

The budgeting process provides state agencies and organizations the opportunity to explain and justify their requests and budgetary needs. Why then does the taxpayer need to provide the funding for a lobbyist to push for additional dollars for these organizations? [Deedee Vaughters]

Vaughters said the research was conducted by Megan Kirby with the SCPC.

Officials at the Statehouse did not dispute the taxpayer-funded lobbysits, but said the SCPC’s numbers seemed a little high.