Harris County has received a staggering 59,431 applications for Uplift Harris, creating intense competition for fewer than 2,000 slots in the guaranteed income pilot program. The application deadline is set for midnight on February 2.
Despite State Senator Paul Bettencourt seeking an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, challenging the program’s constitutionality, applications continue to flood in.
Expressing his concerns, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, a prominent advocate for the program, emphasized the Attorney General’s opinion as significant but not legally binding.
“It’s an opinion by the Attorney General. It does not carry the weight of law. I’m prepared to go all the way to the Texas Supreme Court to make the case and let the chips fall where they may,” Ellis said.
Uplift Harris aims to support just over 1,900 households in specific zip codes, residing 200% below the federal poverty line, by providing a guaranteed income of $500 a month for 18 months. Harris County Public Health states that this includes families of four with a yearly income of $60,000. Barring legal intervention, the initial payments are expected to be disbursed in March.
Commissioner Ellis didn’t mince words when addressing state Republican officials, accusing them of actively harming impoverished residents. He pledged to continue efforts to address inequities and oppression, directing a message to Senator Bettencourt, stating, “He ought to lead on some of these issues, or he ought to step aside.”