Texas county modifies guaranteed income initiative following state supreme court ruling

Harris County, Texas officials on Thursday approved modifications to a guaranteed income program following its challenge and invalidation by the state's Supreme Court.

In April, hundreds of Harris County families relied on $500 monthly payments to escape poverty, but they were left stranded due to the political maneuvering of Texas state leaders, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in a press release.

The Harris County Commissioners Court imposed restrictions on Uplift Harris program participants' spending due to legal challenges against the guaranteed income program.

In the new version of Uplift Harris, around 1,600 families who were enrolled in the program in March will receive a preloaded $500 monthly debit card that can only be used for essential expenses such as grocery shopping and medicine. The debit cards will be distributed over a four-month period.

Although a guaranteed income program would have been preferable, it's the best we can do to fulfill our commitment to these families, according to Hidalgo.

The Harris County Commissioners Court, consisting of four policymaking actors and the county judge, passed Uplift Harris by a 4-1 vote last year. The county judge serves as the county's chief executive officer.

The federal American Rescue Plan Act provided $20.5 million in funding for the program. Houston, with its large population, is the main component of Harris County.

According to Commissioner Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3, "this is not the correct method."

Ramsey stated that although the court members want to assist Harris County residents, the current approach is not the best way to achieve this. The court has a history of attempting to revise the boundaries, regulations, and laws, and this instance is just another example of this.

He stated that the program would benefit only a few people, and the same amount of money could help many more if it was used appropriately.

Harris County has a spending issue, not a revenue problem. Investing $20 million in the most disadvantaged neighborhood in Harris County can transform it for 50 years. However, we are currently spending $20 million to provide $500 monthly to less than 2,000 families for 18 months.

Why try to do something that is not legal when it can be restricted through a debit card? This is a bad policy.

Last week, the commissioners were attempting to revive Uplift Harris after it was struck down by the Texas Supreme Court. Ramsey told Planet Chronicle Digital that his colleagues were trying to "avoid" the legal challenge against the program.

Officials from Harris County gathered to discuss reinstating the program and restricting funds to specific expenditures, as Hidalgo believes this will prevent any legal challenges against the program.

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

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

The program, which started on Jan. 12 and enrolled over 1,900 applicants among a pool of more than 80,000 applications, was unable to distribute the funds due to a court order.

The huge need for anti-poverty programs in Harris County was highlighted by Hidalgo's office, which pointed out that 1 in 6 people in the county live in poverty and 2 in 5 reported struggling to afford a $400 emergency.

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 following the lawsuit.

Guaranteed income programs are being pushed by many municipalities and lawmaking bodies, including Harris County, and have become a trend across the U.S. However, some of these programs are facing legal and funding challenges.

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