One member of the governing body of Harris County, Texas, rejected the guaranteed income program, arguing that $20 million spent on it should have been redirected elsewhere.
“I’m an engineer with over 40 years of experience, I’ve worked in 20 counties in Texas, 50 cities in Texas, and I know that $20 million will go to every disadvantaged community in Harris County, [15 to 20,000] “Ten times as many people could have been helped,” Tom Ramsey of the 3rd Precinct told Fox News Digital.
Guaranteed Income Program The plan, called “Uplift Harris,” passed by the Harris County Commission in a 4-1 vote last year and was funded with $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Houston, Texas’ largest city, makes up the majority of Harris County’s population.
The Harris County Board of Commissioners is an elected body made up of four policymakers and the County Judge who meets biweekly to serve Harris County, Texas. The County Judge serves as the chief executive officer of the county.
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Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the guaranteed income program established in Harris County, called Uplift Harris, is “unconstitutional.” The lawsuit sought an “immediate ruling preventing Uplift Harris from beginning payments under the program.” (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Last week, it was reported that the committee is considering reinstating Uplift Harris, which was struck down by the Texas Supreme Court.
Harris County officials met to discuss reinstating the program but decided to impose certain spending limits on participants. The proposed limits would limit the funds to approved spending categories, a measure Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said should prevent legal challenges to the program.
The Harris County Commission last week presented two options for reviving Uplift Harris, one of which would require participants to re-enroll with debit cards and impose strict limits on spending. Houston Public Media.
Many members of the Commissioners Court supported this option, Houston Landing reports.
“The second option would require a new application and selection process, as well as a new vendor to run the program,” the media reported.
The new program has not yet been approved, and a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that commissioners plan to further discuss the details of Uplift Harris’ revised proposal at their next scheduled Commissioners Court meeting.
Ramsey added that the data doesn’t show the guaranteed income program is working.
“Nothing has changed. If you look at the data to see what’s happening two or three years later, you’ll see nothing has happened,” he said.
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Austin, Texas recently introduced a guaranteed income program in 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
A recent study found that Austin, Texas’ guaranteed income program is helping to address the city’s housing insecurity issues. In April, the Austin City Council approved a $1.3 million contract to continue the guaranteed income program in 2022.
Fox News Digital previously reported that several studies have shown the pilot has produced positive results.
But some of these programs face funding and legal challenges, including St. Louis’ Guaranteed Income Program, which was halted by court order last month.
The effort to reinstate Uplift Harris began after the Texas Supreme Court ruling. The verdict was given A bill was passed in June banning Harris County from running the program.
The court raised “serious questions” about the program’s constitutionality.
Uplift Harris was unable to distribute the funds due to a court order. It was set to distribute $500 per month for 18 months to selected participants. The program launched on Jan. 12, with more than 1,900 people signing up out of more than 85,000 applicants.
The Texas Supreme Court’s ruling against Uplift Harris came after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit alleging that Uplift Harris was “clearly unconstitutional.” Paxton’s lawsuit was prompted by Republican state Senator Paul Bettencourt’s request for the attorney general to review the constitutionality of Uplift Harris.
Ramsey, the only Republican on the Harris County Commission, also claimed his fellow commissioners were trying to “avoid” the Attorney General’s concerns about the program.
“All they’re trying to do is try to get around the attorney general’s concerns,” Ramsey said.
“I’m glad he did that. I hope he’s paying attention. I hope he’ll get involved at this point and understand what it is. But I don’t think it addresses any of my concerns in terms of who’s being considered and the sheer magnitude of it. $20 million has the potential to change a neighborhood for 50 years.”
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee on Monday defended the guaranteed income program, which is the subject of a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. (Harris County Attorney’s Office/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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In response to the Harris County Commission’s efforts to revive Uplift Harris, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee “The current program is legitimate,” Fox News Digital said.
“The county may create a new program with spending limits to address the political challenges raised by Republican officials. We hope this new program will not invite new litigation from the Attorney General and will provide Harris County residents with the relief they so desperately need,” Menefee told Fox News Digital.
Menefee previously defended the program against Paxton’s lawsuit, arguing that the Texas Constitution already contains state law allowing counties to provide cash assistance for “public purposes for the benefit of the county as a whole.”
