Some new details are emerging about Harris County’s previously quashed but now revamped “guaranteed basic income” welfare program.
The Texas Supreme Court issued an injunction on the pilot program (Uplift Harris) earlier this year, which would have given hundreds of dollars in taxpayer money to roughly 2,000 qualifying individuals without conditions, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Now, it seems Harris County commissioners have resurrected the program in the form of a pre-loaded debit card that can only be used for particular purchases. However, it is not entirely clear just how restrictive these new conditions will be.
While aiming to mitigate poverty, basic income welfare programs can sometimes be unhelpful or ineffective due to several factors. Without proper targeting, such programs might distribute taxpayer money to those who do not necessarily need it. Additionally, such programs could potentially discourage work among recipients, leading to a reduction in labor force participation. Moreover, they may not address the root causes of poverty, such as lack of education or job opportunities, making them a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution, according to Current Affairs.
Here’s some of what The Texan published on the program’s new details:
The Harris County Commissioners Court voted along partisan lines last week to revive a guaranteed basic income (GBI) program for select residents with more restrictions and higher costs, although a previous version was halted by state courts earlier this year.
Under the original version of the program, named Uplift Harris, the county planned to send “no-strings-attached” $500 monthly stipends to 1,928 recipients for 18 months, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the program last April. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) halted the plan indefinitely.
Now Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says the revised program, Uplift Harris 2.0, will provide preloaded cards with restrictions on how the funds may be spent.
“That’s not the spirit of a guaranteed income program,” said Hidalgo. “If the state gets in the way of this and the program becomes stuck in court again then the funds will be reallocated to programs that already exist to support people living in poverty.”
Hidalgo did not specify the restrictions on how recipients could spend funds but said the debit cards could be used for “medicine, groceries, et cetera.” The county has not yet published details of the revised GBI.