{"id":2166038,"date":"2024-02-02T12:22:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T17:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-senator-demands-ken-paxton-rule-against-universal-income-program-we-cant-just-hand-out-money-like-popcorn\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T12:25:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T17:25:51","slug":"texas-senator-demands-ken-paxton-rule-against-universal-income-program-we-cant-just-hand-out-money-like-popcorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-senator-demands-ken-paxton-rule-against-universal-income-program-we-cant-just-hand-out-money-like-popcorn\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas senator calls on Ken Paxton to reject universal income program, citing concerns over indiscriminate distribution of funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-senator-demands-ken-paxton-rule-against-universal-income-program-we-cant-just-hand-out-money-like-popcorn%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2166038&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>State Senator Challenges Constitutionality\u2063 of \u200cUniversal Basic Income Program in Texas County<\/h2>\n<h3>A state senator in Texas \u2064is raising concerns \u2064about the constitutionality of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-county-to-fund-universal-basic-income-program-that-restricts-initial-participants-by-race-and-sex\/\" title=\"California County To Fund Universal Basic Income Program That Restricts Initial Participants By Race And Sex\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-i-got-a-covid-test-four-times-in-one-day-two-came-back-negative-two-came-back-positive-the-daily-wire\/\" title=\"Elon Musk: I Got A COVID Test Four Times In One Day. \u2018Two Came Back Negative, Two Came Back Positive.\u2019 | The Daily Wire\">universal basic income<\/a> program<\/a> implemented in Harris County, which includes Houston. <\/h3>\n<p>Republican state Sen. \u200bPaul Bettencourt recently sent \u200da letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, questioning whether the program, known as Uplift Harris, violates the\u2064 state&#8217;s constitution. The program, \u200capproved in a 4-1 vote last year, aims to provide $500\u2062 a month to specific community members for 18 months.<\/p>\n<p>Bettencourt argues that the program&#8217;s \u200cno-strings-attached approach\u200d and the\u200d use of a lottery system based on zip codes \u2062may be in\u2063 violation of the state&#8217;s gift prohibition clause. He believes\u200d that distributing money without any conditions attached goes against the principles outlined in the Texas Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The pilot program, funded by $20 million in COVID-19 relief funds, received\u2062 over 48,000 applications and began on January 12. The\u2063 selected participants will receive\u2063 $500 a month for the duration of the program. However, Bettencourt is concerned about the financial implications of such a program and worries that it could set a\u200d precedent for other counties to follow suit.<\/p>\n<p>While Uplift Harris does \u2063not extend \u200bto illegal immigrants, \u2063there are discussions about exploring cash assistance programs as an alternative to support\u200d those who are\u2064 ineligible for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-to-enroll-600-families-of-color-in-guranteed-income-pilot-program\/\" title=\"Oakland to Enroll 600 Families of Color in \u2018Guranteed Income\u2019 Pilot Program\">guaranteed income program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2064 response to Bettencourt&#8217;s letter, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee argues that the program aligns with the state constitution, as it serves \u200ca public purpose designed to benefit \u2064the entire county.<\/p>\n<p>The debate over the constitutionality of Uplift Harris continues, highlighting the \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reporter-presses-biden-admin-8-times-to-name-1-sanction-improperly-put-on-iran-by-trump-they-cant-name-any\/\" title=\"Reporter Presses Biden Admin 8 Times To Name 1 Sanction Improperly Put On Iran By Trump. They Can\u2019t Name Any.\">ongoing discussions<\/a> surrounding universal basic income and its implementation \u200dat the local level.  <\/p>\n<h2> What \u200bare the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-town-fights-back-against-china-based-companys-plan-to-build-massive-ev-factory-on-us-soil\/\" title=\"Michigan town opposes Chinese company's plan to construct huge EV factory in the US.\">main concerns raised<\/a>\u2063 by State Senator Paul Bettencourt regarding the constitutionality of the Uplift Harris program?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Universal basic income (UBI) has been a topic of discussion and debate for\u200c several years\u200c now, with proponents arguing that it provides a safety net for individuals and helps \u2062to reduce\u200c inequality.\u2064 However, the recent implementation \u2062of the Uplift\u2064 Harris program in Texas has sparked a new\u200d debate over the\u2063 constitutionality of such programs, particularly at the\u200c local level.<\/p>\n<p>State Senator Paul Bettencourt, a Republican, has raised concerns about the constitutionality of Uplift Harris and its compliance with the state&#8217;s constitution. In a letter to Texas\u2062 Attorney \u200cGeneral Ken Paxton, Bettencourt questions whether the program violates the state&#8217;s gift prohibition clause. He argues that the \u2064program&#8217;s\u2064 no-strings-attached approach and the use of a lottery system based on zip codes may\u200b go against the principles\u2063 outlined\u2062 in the Texas Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Uplift Harris, approved in \u200ba 4-1 vote last year, aims to provide $500 a month to \u200dspecific community members\u2062 for\u200d a duration \u200bof 18 months. The program, funded by $20 million in COVID-19 relief funds, received \u2062an overwhelming response with over\u2062 48,000 applications. It began on January 12, and selected participants will receive $500\u200d a month for the duration\u2064 of the program.<\/p>\n<p>While Uplift Harris does \u2064not \u2062extend to illegal immigrants, discussions have emerged about exploring cash assistance programs as an alternative to support those who are ineligible for \u200cthe guaranteed income program. This further\u2064 complicates the debate over the constitutionality of such programs and raises questions about the scope of their implementation.<\/p>\n<p>In response to Bettencourt&#8217;s concerns, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee argues that the program aligns with the state constitution. He believes\u200b that Uplift Harris serves a public purpose designed to benefit the entire county. However, the disagreement between Senator Bettencourt and Attorney General \u200cMenefee highlights the ongoing discussions surrounding universal basic income and its implementation at the \u200dlocal level.<\/p>\n<p>The debate over the constitutionality of Uplift Harris raises important questions about the role of the state constitution in determining the viability \u2064of\u2062 such programs. \u200bAs UBI gains popularity as a potential solution to economic inequality, it is crucial to address the concerns \u2063raised by Senator Bettencourt and ensure that\u200c programs like Uplift \u2062Harris comply with constitutional principles.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this debate also highlights the need for\u2063 a comprehensive\u2062 and coherent approach to \u2062UBI implementation. While Uplift Harris may serve as a pilot program and an experimental \u2062solution to economic disparities, its financial implications \u2063and potential precedents for other counties must be carefully considered.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the Texas state senator&#8217;s challenge to \u200dthe constitutionality of the Uplift Harris program brings attention to the ongoing discussions and debates surrounding universal \u2063basic income. As the program proceeds and gains traction in Harris \u2063County, it is vital for \u2062lawmakers \u2062and legal experts to carefully assess \u2063its compliance\u2062 with the state&#8217;s constitution \u200band\u2064 ensure its alignment with the principles outlined therein. Only through thorough examination and \u200binformed debate can the legality\u2062 and effectiveness of UBI programs be determined, ultimately contributing to the formulation of\u2064 comprehensive policies that prioritize the well-being and prosperity of all individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Texas state senator claims a county&#8217;s $500 monthly universal basic income program is unconstitutional. Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican, wrote to Attorney General Ken Paxton questioning the program&#8217;s legality. The program was approved in Harris County, including Houston, with a 4-1 vote in 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2669,"featured_media":2166039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"http:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap23146774484177-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2166038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"http:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap23146774484177-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2669"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2166038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2166039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2166038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2166038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2166038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}