HOUSTON — In response to Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s request for an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton questioning the legality of Harris County’s guaranteed basic income pilot program, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee submitted a brief to the attorney general.
In the brief, Menefee argues the Uplift Harris program is legal under our state’s constitution and laws, and urges the attorney general to reach the same conclusion.
“Harris County leaders have taken a real step to reduce poverty and help our residents improve their future earning potential. Senator Bettencourt should be working with us to tackle these problems and help our communities, not fighting us without even trying to understand the good that can come from basic income programs,” said Menefee. “Our brief lays out the legal arguments in a very straightforward manner. I hope the attorney general gives us fair consideration.”
A press release states that Texas law authorizes the attorney general to “issue a written opinion on a question affecting the public interest” when a request is made by certain officials. Attorney general opinions are not binding on the courts, and courts often disagree with their conclusions.
“As of … Jan. 29 our program has received over 67,000 applications. According to census data, roughly 1 in 6 people in Harris County live in poverty, more than the national average and behind all other large counties in Texas,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Uplift Harris is going to help thousands of families in Harris County, and we will defend it every step of the way. Guaranteed income has proven successful at reducing poverty in other communities around the nation and around the world, and the people of Harris County deserve access to it.”
Uplift Harris will provide $500 per month for 18 months to 1,900 Harris County residents. The program is fully funded by the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Applicants must have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty line and reside in one of the 10 highest-poverty zip codes in the county. Recipients will be randomly selected from eligible applicants. The deadline to apply is February 2.
“No one should be surprised that Senator Bettencourt is enlisting Attorney General Paxton to stand in the way of our efforts to help families put food on the table and make ends meet,” said Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. “Instead of working toward a truly prosperous, thriving state where everyone can take care of their family and build a better life, state leaders would rather go to their block-and-ban playbook to score political points and maintain a system of inequality they helped create. It’s immoral. We stand by Uplift Harris and the opinion of our County Attorney, and we will keep fighting for the resources Texas families need and deserve.”