A Harris County, Texas commissioner criticizes guaranteed income programs: "They have no impact"

A member of the Harris County, Texas governing body was the only one to oppose a guaranteed income program, stating that the $20 million allocated for the program should have been redirected to a different initiative.

Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3, an engineer with 40-something years of experience, stated that he works with 20 counties in Texas and 50 cities in Texas. He emphasized that $20 million could have been taken to any underserved neighborhood in Harris County and would have been helpful for 15 to 20,000 people, ten times as many people could have been helped.

The Uplift Harris program, which was approved by the Harris County Commissioners Court with a 4-1 vote last year, received $20.5 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. This program, which guarantees a certain income to eligible residents of Harris County, is primarily aimed at helping those living in Houston, the largest city in Texas.

The Harris County Commissioners Court, consisting of four policymaking officials and the county judge, meets bi-weekly to govern Harris County, Texas. The county judge holds the position of the county's chief executive officer.

The Texas Supreme Court struck down Uplift Harris last week, but it is being reported that the commissioners are considering reviving it.

Harris County officials discussed reviving the program with spending restrictions, including limiting funds to approved categories, to avoid legal challenges, as stated by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

The Harris County Commissioners Court has proposed two options for revitalizing Uplift Harris, including re-enrolling participants with a debit card and implementing stricter spending restrictions, as reported by Houston Public Media.

The Houston Landing reported that many members of the Commissioners Court backed this choice.

According to the outlet, the second option would necessitate a new application and selection process, as well as a new vendor to manage the program.

The commissioners will discuss the proposed revisions to Uplift Harris at the next scheduled Commissioners Court meeting, a spokesperson told Planet Chronicle Digital.

Ramsey added that the data does not show that guaranteed income programs work.

He stated that they don't make any changes, and when you examine the data after two or three years, nothing has happened.

After its launch in 2022, Austin's guaranteed income program was approved for continuation by its city council in April, with a $1.3-million contract. The program aimed to address the issue of housing insecurity in the city.

Positive results have been produced by some studies involving pilots, as previously reported by Planet Chronicle Digital.

Some programs, including a guaranteed income program in St. Louis, face funding and legal challenges.

After the Texas Supreme Court ruled in June that Harris County could not operate Uplift Harris, an effort was made to revive the program.

The program's constitutional validity was questioned by the court.

The court order prevented Harris from distributing the funds, which would have provided $500 per month for 18 months to selected participants. The program began on Jan. 12 and enrolled over 1,900 applicants from a pool of more than 85,000 applications.

After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton received a request from Republican State Sen. Paul Bettencourt to review Uplift Harris' constitutional merits, Paxton filed a lawsuit arguing that Uplift Harris is "plainly unconstitutional." The Texas Supreme Court then ruled on Uplift Harris based on Paxton's lawsuit.

The only Republican on the Harris County Commissioners Court, Ramsey, contended that his fellow commissioners are attempting to "avoid" the attorney general's concerns regarding the program.

Ramsey stated that the attorney general's concerns about it are being avoided by all they're doing.

I hope he's paying attention and will engage at this point to see it for what it is. However, I don't think any of my concerns have been addressed regarding who is being considered and the big scope of it. Twenty million dollars could change a neighborhood for 50 years.

The Harris County Attorney stated that the current Uplift Harris program is legal.

Menefee stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the county may establish a new program with spending limitations to tackle politically charged issues raised by Republican officials. He hopes that this program will prevent another lawsuit from the AG and enable Harris County residents to obtain the necessary aid.

Previously, Menefee argued that the Texas Constitution allows counties to issue cash assistance as it serves a "public purpose" and benefits the entire county.