Minnesota Democrats want to introduce a free-wheeling basic income program that would redistribute taxpayer money to residents identified as poor, including illegal aliens.
house file 2666Sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Athena Hollins, it passed a voice vote of the House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee on Tuesday. Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of Congress, so the bill has a good chance of success.
If harmonized with a companion bill in the state Senate;
Senate File 2559, which would siphon $100 million from the general fund in fiscal year 2025. This funding is in turn granted to the intermediary. These nonprofit organizations would be tasked with disbursing cash payments ranging from $350 to $1,200 per month to eligible individuals and families for 12 to 24 months.
To qualify for the taxpayer-funded benefits, prospective recipients must be “receiving public benefits or have a household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.” Recipients also do not appear to have to prove financial need with documentation or proper identification.
The bill states, “Grant recipients may establish other eligibility requirements for recipients eligible to receive services under this section, but no other income, residence, or citizenship requirement.” “Do not require any certification or documentation of the recipient’s identity.”
Once you are enrolled in the program based on proof of eligibility, you do not need to recertify. Hollins acknowledged that even if a recipient gets a good job the day after becoming eligible, they will still receive the payment.
Additionally, benefits are not considered income, so they do not affect a recipient’s eligibility for other benefit programs.
Republican state Rep. Walter Hudson criticized the bill in Tuesday’s session.
Committee hearing“I think I understand what this bill is trying to do, but I’m confused about the methods it uses to accomplish it,” he said.
“We have mechanisms within the state to facilitate this. [a universal basic income]”We have a Department of Revenue,” Hudson said. We can identify people who meet income qualifications and provide them with monthly deposits through a secure cash transfer system. Instead, the bill would involve intermediaries, including nonprofit organizations. From what I see, these nonprofits have no quality control. ”
Hudson also pointed out that the bill does not specify a way to “verify who is getting the funding.” To prevent fraudulent activities such as kickback schemes between intermediaries. and regulating how intermediaries spend money on their employees.
Republican state Rep. Ben Davis also said the bill lacks measures to ensure that taxpayer funds don’t ultimately feed addicts’ drug habits.
“I’ve worked in alcohol and drug abuse recovery programs for 12 years, and I’ve seen a lot of government money spent on people’s addictions and a lot of abuse,” Davis said. “I highly recommend that you put something here that says, “What did you spend this money on, please provide the receipts.” We need more accountability.”
Democrats were not overly concerned about the possibility of abuse. But they noted Hudson’s comments that the bill would allow illegal aliens to withdraw their monthly payments.
In response, Hollins, the bill’s sponsor, said, “I think it’s important to expand this to undocumented individuals because it’s a pilot program.”
Hollins also said the program will collect more data to learn “if we want to do something in the future that identifies all people at a statewide level, how best to do something like this.” He suggested that it would be wise to include illegal immigrants. ”
Democratic state Rep. Liz Lee argued that illegal aliens should be eligible because they supposedly pay taxes to the state.
“Minnesota’s tax base is funded by illegal aliens and non-citizens,” Lee said.
State Rep. Carly Kotiza-Whitoun echoed Lee, saying, “We’re making $5.8 billion off the backs of illegal immigrants in Minnesota. … They pay taxes, so we support them.” It should be,” he argued.
The introduction of universal basic income, which would not require recipients to submit legal documents, would be a bonus for undocumented immigrants who already rely heavily on federal welfare benefits.
In a December report, the Center for Immigration Studies, citing data from the 2022 Income and Program Participation Survey, found that an estimated 59.4% of undocumented immigrant-headed households were enrolled in at least one taxpayer-funded large-scale It was concluded that large-scale welfare support was utilized.
Undocumented immigrants, as a group, reportedly utilize all welfare programs at “statistically significantly higher rates than U.S.-born persons.” [Supplemental Security Income], [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families], and housing. ”
House Committee on Homeland Security shown A November 2023 report found that “for every 1 million parolees released into the United States, [Department of Homeland Security Alejandro] Under Mayorkas’ watch, federal welfare benefits could total $3 billion a year, starting in January 2026. ”
Blaze News previously reported that the estimated annual cost of housing known fugitives and illegal aliens released into the country under Biden’s watch was $451 billion.
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report HF2666 will next be taken up by the state House Human Services and Finance Committee.
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