LEGISLATORS have introduced a potential new $20.5million program to reduce poverty and mitigate income inequality.
If approved, the new guaranteed income program would give low-income residents monthly $500 checks in a rapidly expanding metropolitan area.
Harris County, Texas, officials announced the multi-million dollar program, calling the aid a necessary investment.
"It is uncivilized that we live in a society where people cannot afford basic necessities," Harris County Judge, Lina Hidalgo, said in a statement.
"We all may know hardworking families who are one extra cost away from falling off their stable path."
The proposal, called Uplift Harris, would be fully funded by the local government.
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Harris County - home of the country's fourth most populous city, Houston, Texas - would begin a pilot program later this year if the bill is approved.
The county would give individuals living 200 percent under the federal poverty line the monthly checks.
A Harris County family of four making $40,000 or less per year would qualify for the program.
"Today we’re announcing a vote on Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot program to help families rise above poverty and strengthen all of Harris County," commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a tweet.
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"If approved, it will be the first of its kind in a Texas county and start later this fall."
The pilot program would randomly select recipients in the lowest income zip codes in the county.
The officials also stated that the money transfers would be heavily monitored to deter scams.
The Harris County proposal follows a trend of other local legislators tackling the cost of living crisis with government assistance programs.
POPULAR GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAMS
Several counties and cities have adopted guaranteed income and universal basic income (UBI) programs.
The Minneapolis Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program similarly provides $500 monthly to low-income Minneapolis families.
Payments started in June 2022, and city officials appropriated another year of checks to begin this month.
Cambridge, Massachusetts also launched a similar program called Rise Up.
Rise Up helps low-income residents with support for basic needs like food and utility costs.
Following new government funding to invest in the community, multiple non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have provided funds for low-income residents.
NGOS PITCH IN, TOO
A spate of local programs has stepped in to provide more cash relief to American residents.
The Local Sound Collaborative began offering $200 to eligible recipients in Rochester, New York.
The organization seeks to subsidize aid to local, independent musicians.
Artists, producers, engineers, and backstage technicians were eligible for the program.
An active California-based LGBT organization, Queer Works, also provided funds to community members.
The organization gave 30 Queer-identifying individuals $800 payments for 18 months.
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