Harris County guaranteed income program can move forward

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports a district judge on Thursday ruled Harris County’s new guaranteed income program can proceed, denying the Texas Attorney General Office’s request for a temporary injunction. The state sued Harris County earlier this month, arguing the initiative to provide financial assistance to low-income residents violated a Texas statute prohibiting gifts of public funds. Harris County Commissioners Court approved the plan last June to send $500 monthly payments to around 1,900 low-income households over the course of 18 months. The $20.5 million Uplift Harris program is funded by federal pandemic recovery dollars.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis called the ruling a “victory for families struggling to make ends meet,” while also acknowledging the legal battle likely isn’t over. “We stand ready to take our fight all the way to the Texas Supreme Court to protect Uplift Harris,” Ellis said in a statement. The Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Though Uplift Harris has the support of Commissioners Court’s four Democratic members, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey – the lone Republican serving on the court – has vocally opposed it.