Houston-area program to give $500 monthly payments to some residents on hold after Texas lawsuit

By ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Harris County must pause a guaranteed income program for qualifying area residents until it is determined whether the program violates the Texas Constitution, the Supreme Court of Texas says. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the primarily Democratic county, which contains Houston, over the Uplift Harris program. The initiative would provide “no-strings-attached” $500 monthly cash payments to 1,928 qualifying county residents for 18 months. Eligible recipients must have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty line and reside in an identified high-poverty zip code. Payments under the program were set to begin tomorrow.