Texas Supreme Court Puts Harris County ‘Guaranteed Income’ on Hold

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has prevailed in petitioning the Texas Supreme Court to put a halt to a “guaranteed income” scheme by Harris County that he said violated the state constitution. The Texas Supreme Court issued an order on June 14, granting Mr. Paxton’s request for a stoppage of payments made under the “Uplift Harris” program, which involved “no strings attached” disbursements of $500 to nearly 2000 residents for 18 months. “Although we make no definitive statement about the merits, the State has raised serious doubt about the constitutionality of the Uplift Harris program, and this potential violation of the Texas Constitution could not be remedied or undone if payments were to commence while the underlying appeal proceeds,” Texas Supreme Court justices wrote in the order....