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The Uplift Harris program in Houston aims to give $500 monthly to the region’s neediest people, sparking discussion about the Universal basic income application. Houston Republican State Sen. Paul Bettencourt has protested the program and questioned its constitutionality.
Universal Basic Income Application in Texas (Photo: Google)
What is the Universal Basic Income Application?
After Uplift Harris launched its applications in January, Sen. Bettencourt immediately wrote to the state’s attorney general to declare the income plan unlawful. With nearly $20 million from the federal COVID-19 aid under the American Rescue Plan, the program provided financial assistance to qualified Harris County households for up to 18 months.
The senator claims that the Texas Constitution’s “gift prohibition” section forbids the legislature from giving public money to individuals. Bettencourt said to Fox News, “We just can’t hand out money like popcorn on street corners to people that walk by.”
Even after the application window ended, Bettencourt criticized the initiative, which received 76,000 applications. The senator said that Harris County’s measure created significant constitutional problems, unlike Austin’s guaranteed income scheme.
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Texas Lawmaker’s Opposition to Uplift Harris Sparks Legal Showdown
“The point I’m making about counties with universal basic income is that it hasn’t happened before,” Bettencourt said on Fox. “Harris is the only state resident doing it. And counties differ from home-rule cities. The state authorizes counties to do some responsibilities as an extension.”
In a brief to the Texas attorney general, Harris County attorney Christian Menefree denied Bettencourt’s assertions that Uplift Harris violated the gift clause. The initiative’s court battle underscores the ongoing dispute about counties’ involvement in universal basic income and constitutional guidelines. Harris County residents await the outcome of a pandemic-related financial assistance program.
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