The concept of universal basic income — inspired by pandemic stimulus checks issued under both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — is gaining traction across the states. However, opinions on its potential to reshape finances are not so universal.
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Minnesota lawmakers are proposing a $100 million pilot program to establish universal basic income, aiming to support state residents with monthly payments.
The proposed program would grant $500 monthly for 18 months to individuals and families earning at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Critics, including Minnesota Rep. Ben Davis, R, argue such initiatives might enable negative behaviors without proper safeguards against misuse.
“My philosophy has always been get government out of the way, give people the opportunity to work hard with their own hands and to provide for themselves,” Davis said.
Davis said he believes the bill is “opening the door for [Minnesota] being a socialist state.”
HF2666 is currently under review in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks to halt “Uplift Harris,” a new guaranteed income pilot program in Harris County set to launch in May.
The program would provide about 1,900 households with $500 monthly payments for 18 months.
Paxton’s lawsuit in Houston labels the program as unconstitutional and an “illegitimate government overreach.”
“There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas,” Paxton said in the lawsuit. “The Texas Constitution expressly prohibits giving away public funds to benefit individuals — a common-sense protection to prevent cronyism and ensure that public funds benefit all citizens.”
Harris County is joining San Antonio, Austin and El Paso County as the latest Texas region experimenting with basic income pilot programs, targeting support toward qualifying low-income families.
Stanford University’s Basic Income Lab reports more than 150 basic income trials in the U.S., with most starting in the last five years.
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
BASIC INCOME DISCUSSIONS, SPURRED ON BY PANDEMIC STIMULUS CHECKS UNDER BOTH FORMER PRESIDENT DONAL TRUMP AND PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, ARE GAINING MOMENTUM ACROSS THE STATES, BUT THE IDEA ISN’T UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED.
MINNESOTA IS CONSIDERING ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, WITH LAWMAKERS PROPOSING A PILOT PROGRAM TO ALLOCATE 100-MILLION-DOLLARS TO SUPPORT THEIR RESIDENTS.
IF APPROVED, THE PROGRAM GRANTS 5-HUNDRED DOLLARS MONTHLY OVER 18-MONTHS — TARGETING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WITH HOUSEHOLD INCOMES AT OR BELOW 300-PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.
REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE BEN DAVIS, CRITICIZES THE BASIC INCOME PROPOSAL AND SIMILAR INITIATIVES, ARGUING THAT “FREE MONEY” COULD REINFORCE NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS AND THE IDEA LACKS SAFEGUARDS AGAINST POTENTIAL MISUSE.
THE BILL IS STILL MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MEANWHILE IN THE SOUTH — TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON IS TRYING TO BLOCK A NEW GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT PROGRAM CALLED “UPLIFT HARRIS.“
THE PROGRAM — SLATED TO START NEXT MONTH — PROVIDES ROUGHLY 19-HUNDRED HOUSEHOLDS IN HARRIS COUNTRY A SIMILAR 5-HUNDRED DOLLAR MONTHLY PAYMENT FOR 18 MONTHS.
IN HIS LAWSUIT FILED IN HOUSTON, PAXTON DUBBED THE “HARRIS HANDOUTS” UNCONSTITUTIONAL CALLING THEM AN “ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT OVERREACH.”
“There is no such thing as free money—especially in Texas. The Texas Constitution expressly prohibits giving away public funds to benefit individuals—a common sense protection to prevent cronyism and ensure that public funds benefit all citizens.”
HARRIS COUNTY JOINS SAN ANTONIO, AUSTIN, AND EL PASO COUNTY AS THE LATEST TEXAS REGION TO TEST BASIC INCOME PILOT PROGRAMS, OFFERING FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO QUALIFYING LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.
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