July 13, 2012

In Georgia, Tea Party And Progressives Go On Bus Tour To Fight Lobbyists

In Georgia, Tea Party And Progressives Go On Bus Tour To Fight LobbyistsWe’ve been continually reporting on the tea party-progressive movement in Georgia to demand a lobbyist gift cap so that lobbyists can no longer give any gifts to lawmakers that cost more than $100 (Georgia is today one of three states where lobbyists can give unlimited gifts to legislators).

At least 130 sitting state lawmakers or legislative candidates have signed a pledge promising to support a $100 cap on gifts to lawmakers, an important step ahead of Georgia’s state legislative primaries at the end of this month. There will also be non-binding ballot questions both for Democrats and Republicans to ask voters if they support this cap.

Ahead of these elections, leaders in the state progressive and tea party movements are embarking on an “Ethics Express” bus tour together to call on voters to help push for the cap and battle lobbyists:

A bipartisan group of state legislators and citizen groups pushing for limiting the number of freebies that can be offered to and accepted by Georgia’s elected officials will rally in Brunswick later this month. […] The tour will include William Perry, executive director of Common Cause Georgia; Julianne Thompson, Georgia Tea Party Patriots; Debbie Dooley, Georgia Tea Party Patriots; and Kay Godwin, Georgia Conservatives in Action.

Polling conducted earlier this year found that there is strong public support for the gift cap, with  “82 percent of the Republicans” in support.