One of many members of the Harris County, Texas governing physique stood alone in rejecting a assured earnings program, arguing that the $20 million that was used for this system ought to’ve been redirected elsewhere.
“I’m an engineer with 40-something years experience, working with 20 counties in Texas, 50 cities in Texas. And what I do know is $20 million could have been taken to any underserved neighborhood in Harris County and would have been helpful for [15 to 20,000] people — ten times as many people could have been helped,” Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3 informed Fox Information Digital.
The assured earnings program known as Uplift Harris, which handed the Harris County Commissioners Courtroom by a 4-1 vote final yr, was funded with $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Houston, the biggest metropolis in Texas, makes up most of Harris County’s inhabitants.
The Harris County Commissioners Courtroom is an elected physique of 4 policymaking actors and the county decide that meets bi-weekly to serve Harris County, Texas. The county decide serves because the county’s chief govt officer.
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Legal professional Basic Ken Paxton’s lawsuit claimed that “Uplift Harris,” a assured earnings program established in Harris County, was “unconstitutional.” The lawsuit sought an “immediate ruling to block Uplift Harris from beginning to make payments under the program.” (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)
Final week, the commissioners had been reportedly trying to revive Uplift Harris after it was struck down by the Texas Supreme Courtroom.
Harris County officers met to debate reviving this system, however would place some spending restrictions on members. The proposed restrictions had been to restrict the funds to accepted spending classes, a transfer that Harris County Decide Lina Hidalgo mentioned ought to stop any authorized challenges towards this system.
The Harris County Commissioners Courtroom final week introduced up two choices for reviving Uplift Harris. Considered one of them is re-enrolling members with a debit card and putting stricter restrictions on spending, in keeping with Houston Public Media.
Most of the members of the Commissioners Courtroom supported this selection, the Houston Touchdown reported.
“The second option would require requiring a new application and selection process, as well as a new vendor to operate the program,” in keeping with the outlet.
The brand new program has not been accepted but. The commissioners will talk about particulars concerning the proposed revisions to Uplift Harris additional on the subsequent scheduled Commissioners Courtroom assembly, a spokesperson informed Fox Information Digital.
Ramsey added that the info doesn’t present that assured earnings packages work.
“They don’t change anything. You look at the data in terms of where they are two years later, three years later, it hadn’t happened,” he mentioned.
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Austin, Texas, just lately applied a assured earnings program in 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Pictures)
A latest survey confirmed that Austin, Texas’ assured earnings program helped handle the issue of housing insecurity within the metropolis. Austin’s metropolis council in April accepted a $1.3-million contract to maintain its assured earnings program operating after it launched in 2022.
Some research have proven that the pilots have produced constructive outcomes, Fox Information Digital beforehand reported.
Nevertheless, a few of these packages face funding and authorized challenges, together with a assured earnings program in St. Louis that was halted resulting from a courtroom order final month.
The trouble to revive Uplift Harris got here after the Texas Supreme Courtroom issued a ruling in June that prohibited Harris County from working this system.
The courtroom raised “serious doubt” concerning the constitutional deserves of this system.
Uplift Harris was by no means capable of distribute the funds as a result of courtroom order. It might have distributed $500 per thirty days for 18 months to chose members, This system began on Jan. 12, and enrolled over 1,900 candidates amongst a pool of greater than 85,000 purposes.
The Texas Supreme Courtroom’s ruling on Uplift Harris got here after Texas Legal professional Basic Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit arguing that Uplift Harris is “plainly unconstitutional.” Paxton’s lawsuit stemmed from Republican State Sen. Paul Bettencourt urging the lawyer basic to evaluate Uplift Harris’ constitutional deserves.
Ramsey, the one Republican within the Harris County Commissioners Courtroom, argued additional that his fellow Harris County commissioners are attempting to “sidestep” the lawyer basic’s considerations about this system.
“All they’re trying to do is sidestep the attorney general’s concerns related to it,” Ramsey mentioned.
He continued, “I’m glad he did it. I hope he’s paying attention. I’ll hope he’ll engage at this point and see it for what it is. But, I don’t think any of my concerns have been addressed in terms of who is being considered and the big scope of it. Twenty million dollars could change a neighborhood for 50 years.”
Harris County Legal professional Christian Menefee defended a assured earnings program that’s been focused in a lawsuit filed by Texas Legal professional Basic Ken Paxton on Monday. (Harris County lawyer basic’s workplace/Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)
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In response to Harris County Commissioners Courtroom efforts to revive Uplift Harris, Harris County Legal professional Christian Menefee informed Fox Information Digital that the “current program is legal.”
“The county may create a new program with spending restrictions to address politically charged challenges brought by Republican officials. It is my hope that this new program will not bring another lawsuit from the AG, and allow Harris County residents to receive much needed relief,” Menefee informed Fox Information Digital.
Menefee beforehand defended this system towards Paxton’s lawsuit, arguing that the Texas Structure incorporates present state statutes enabling counties to situation money help that serves a “public purpose designed to benefit the entire county.”
