A lawsuit over the “no strings attached” funding temporarily halted the Lone Star State’s attempt at a Universal Basic Income scheme.
While progressive communities across the country the country have attempted to use pilot programs to open the door for state and federal universal basic income (UBI) schemes, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was able to stop a giveaway in the Houston region with an emergency move.
Following the Texas Supreme Court’s decision, the AG tweeted on Tuesday, “I am delighted the Supreme Court of Texas has barred Harris County from disbursing these unconstitutional payments.” “I am eager to keep up the defense of our Constitution and stop this heinous misappropriation of public funds.”
The state’s Constitution prohibits “any county, city, town, or other political corporation or subdivision of the state…to grant public money or thing of value in aid of or to any individual,” so Paxton, who had sued Harris County earlier in April over the welfare scheme, claimed that the temporary stay was necessary.
Under the Uplift Harris initiative, a UBI pilot that the Harris County Commissioners Court approved last year by a vote of 4-1, over 1,900 residents received monthly payments of $500 for 18 months.
With the case still pending and the payment schedule set to begin on Wednesday, Paxton filed an emergency petition in an attempt to prevent Harris County from violating the Constitution in less than two days. In an innovative move, the county has named the program “Uplift Harris” and plans to distribute public funds to specific individuals in Harris County starting on Wednesday at an unspecified time.
“Even the defendant, Harris County Public Health (HCPH), informs the beneficiaries that the money is a “gift” for tax reasons and has “no strings attached.” “The Texas Constitution, however, bans this form of free-money transfer without express constitutional exemption,” the motion went on to say. No exception allows counties to distribute public funds in the manner that Uplift Harris does, especially when it comes to worthy causes like alleviating poverty.
The Texas Supreme Court declared in its decision that the county had until April 29 to reply and that it was granting an administrative stay, meaning that real parties in interest and their representatives could not make any payments under the Uplift Harris program until further orders from the court, without considering the merits of the case.
CEO of UpTogether Jesús Gerena, whose group has supported similar initiatives around the nation and works to bring about “structural change via charitable and government collaborations,” denounced the stay in a statement. “Today’s terrible judgment will deny thousands of Texas individuals experiencing financial difficulty an opportunity for financial stability and upward mobility for the foreseeable future.”
“By impeding Uplift Harris’s candidacy, the Texas Supreme Court has abandoned all concept of judicial moderation and become a part of Ken Paxton’s continuous circus act, wherein he persistently exploits people’s everyday existence as a political football,” he said, intensifying his criticism. “What Mr. Paxton is doing is nasty, dishonest, and opportunistic. There is no other way to understand it.”
Similarly, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (D) asserted in a statement to Fox News Digital, “The state is once again attempting to intimidate Harris County, and these families are finding themselves in the middle.”
“We were really startled to see the Attorney General try to prohibit it after we had already picked and notified the beneficiaries.” They had known for a year that we had this program coming up,” the woman said. “We are going to keep battling, but I have already heard tales of individuals who were anticipating these monies, and I detest having to give them different information every day.”
Many social media users praised Paxton for his efforts to stop the transfer of wealth, despite the outcry from activists.
Author: Blake Ambrose
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