Texas Supreme Court Halts Guaranteed Income Program

(Dreamstime)

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday halted Harris County’s guaranteed income pilot program, which was going to provide $500 monthly to low-income families.

The court sided with Attorney General Ken Paxton and effectively halted the program. Two previous judges had ruled in favor of Uplift Harris. Justice Jimmy Blacklock said Uplift Harris, the name given the program, violated the Texas Constitution.

“This is quite unlike a food-stamp program, a housing voucher, or a medical-care program, in which the public funds can only be directed to their intended purpose. It appears that, for all practical purposes, there truly are ‘no strings attached,’ and we are directed to no precedent indicating that a government in Texas may make such payments without running afoul of our Constitution’s restrictions,” Blacklock wrote in his opinion.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement he was disappointed in the court’s ruling.

“Uplift Harris is a poverty alleviation program modeled on other guaranteed income programs across the country,” Menefee said. “Local governments exist in part to help the less fortunate among us, and the Supreme Court’s ruling effectively ends a program that has proven to be highly successful at allowing lower income folks to lift themselves out of poverty.”

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling is cruel.

“The attorney general is not only attacking Harris County’s right to local control, he’s attacking the hardworking, everyday families living in poverty who were promised this money and who were counting on these payments to stay afloat,” Hidalgo said.

The Uplift Harris program, funded through allocations from the American Rescue Plan, mirrors experiments with guaranteed income in other Texas cities, including Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio. Proponents cite research indicating positive outcomes, including enhanced housing and food security, and sustained employment among beneficiaries.

The program received more than 82,000 applicants. More than 750,000 people live in poverty in Harris County.