Texas sues Harris County over 'guaranteed income' program that gives $500 a month to 2,000 residents

Attorney General Ken Paxton said the plan, known as Uplift Harris, is "plainly unconstitutional."

Ken Paxton, fiscal general de Texas. (Cordon Press)

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10 de abril, 2024

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Harris County on Tuesday over a program that gives $500 a month to approximately 2,000 residents for 18 months.

This guaranteed income plan, known as Uplift Harris, was approved by county commissioners in 2023 by a 4-1 vote. It began on January 12, 2024, after receiving more than 59,000 applications, although only 1,924 residents were allowed to participate. They, the county website states, were chosen "randomly" through a lottery process.

Fox News reports that the $20.5 million used to finance the program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a program that was created for various COVID-19 relief initiatives.

Texas Attorney General calls program 'plainly unconstitutional'

However, Paxton assures, people selected to participate in the program will receive the funds "no strings attached." Something that, the prosecutor's office points out in a statement, cannot be carried out since the state constitution prohibits "any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State…to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual. Harris County’s program to give public money away with no conditions, no control over expenditure of that money, and no guarantee of public benefit is prohibited," the press release reads.

This, stated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his statement, makes the program "plainly unconstitutional" since "public funds are spent for political gain":

This scheme is plainly unconstitutional. Taxpayer money must be spent lawfully and used to advance the public interest, not merely redistributed with no accountability or reasonable expectation of a general benefit. I am suing to stop officials in Harris County from abusing public funds for political gain.