La Porte Independent School District is one of several organizations that Rep. Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) says are not being truthful when disclosing their connections to and work with lobbyists.

In 2019, the state passed Senate Bill 65, a section of which requires government organizations and school districts, to disclose their lobbying efforts. Following the passage of that bill, Middleton sent 3,000 letters to school districts, cities and counties across the state, requesting that they disclose not only whether or not they hire lobbyists, but how much they spend in their lobbying efforts, what legislation they do and do not support, and to name the lobbying firms they use. In addition, he requested copies of contracts with lobbying firms.

He received approximately 2,000 responses, and was not happy with the results.

La Porte ISD Superintendent Lloyd W. Graham

“The problem is, not all of them are telling the truth,” Middleton told Texas Business Coalition in February. 

He believes, based on information he received, that along with two other school districts who have responded saying they were not working with lobbyists, La Porte ISD has in fact engaged in lobbying activity.

Middleton said that he thinks it is only fair that local governments reveal how much they spend annually to fund lobbying efforts, many times in efforts to pass laws that will raise taxes, citing a figure of $41 million overall. 

He was a freshman legislator when he introduced a bill that would ban all lobbying by government agencies. His bill did not pass in the House, but another bill on the same subject passed in the Senate but failed in the House.

Texas Business Coalition reached out to La Porte ISD Superintendent Lloyd W. Graham and Communications Director Adam J. Holland for comment who did not respond to multiple requests to tell the school district's side of the story.