The Texas Supreme Court ordered Harris County to not issue payments under its guaranteed income program until Attorney General Ken Paxton's fight against it is adjudicated.
The Supreme Court of Texas issued a ruling Tuesday that prohibits Harris County from launching a guaranteed income program which is currently being disputed by Attorney General Ken Paxton. The decision comes just days after Houston County Judge Ursula Hall struck down Paxton’s arguments that the Uplift Harris program, which distributes monthly stipends to over 1,900 low-income residents, is unconstitutional.
The Harris County Commissioners Court passed Uplift Harris last year by a vote of 4-1. The guaranteed income pilot would allow participating households to receive $500 per month for 18 months. The program began on Jan. 12, and currently has 1,924 applicants enrolled. Paxton filed a lawsuit seeking an immediate ruling to block Uplift Harris from making payments under the program, which the Texas Supreme Court granted.
UpTogether, an organization with a mission of investing in people in historically undervalued communities by influencing policies and mobilizing systems for change, responded to the court’s ruling on Tuesday, calling the decision 'shameful.' 'Today’s shameful decision means thousands of Texas residents facing financial hardship will be denied an opportunity for financial stability and upward mobility for the unforeseeable future,' UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena said.
’m pleased the Supreme Court of Texas has blocked Harris County from disbursing these unlawful payments,' Paxton said. 'I look forward to continuing to defend our Constitution and preventing this egregious misuse of taxpayer money.' Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in February that migrants are living in poverty, 'supporting them helps all of us and has good downstream effects on all of us.
This is the state once again trying to bully Harris County, and these families are getting caught in the middle,' Hidalgo said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'The Attorney General has known for a year that we had this program coming, so we really were surprised to see them try to block it once we had already selected and notified the recipients.
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