Harris County must pause a guaranteed income program for qualifying area residents until it is determined whether the program violates the Texas Constitution, the Supreme Court of Texas says. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the primarily Democratic county, which contains Houston, over the Uplift Harris program.
FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement at his office, May 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas . The Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, ordered Harris County, which includes Houston , to put on hold for now a guaranteed income program that would provide $500 monthly cash payments to roughly 2,000 residents in one of the largest counties in the U.S. The program has become a target of Paxton.
The program would provide cash payments to more than 1,900 qualifying county residents for 1 1/2 years. Eligible recipients must reside in an area identified with a high poverty rate and have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty line, which is about $30,000 for a single-person household.and follows in the footsteps of dozens of cities and counties across the country that have implemented guaranteed income programs to reduce poverty and inequality.
“Harris County officials cannot continue to abuse their power and the people’s money to score political points, and we will fight every step of the way to hold them accountable,” Paxton said in a statement Tuesday following his appeal to the state’s highest civil court. According to Harris County officials, the county received more than 82,000 applications for the program by the February 2 deadline and distribution of the funds was set to begin tomorrow.
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