In the legal battle over "guaranteed income" programs in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton has claimed victory against Harris County’s efforts to implement such a scheme, a victory for those opposing the redistribution of taxpayer dollars. As per an announcement by the Office of the Attorney General, the county has conceded to the court’s ruling and will cease its program, which purportedly violated state law regarding the allocation of public funds.
Harris County had initially decided to reallocate the program funds in June, but faced legal challenges mounted by Paxton. "This unlawful free handout scheme pushed by champagne socialists like Lina Hidalgo has now been completely defeated," Paxton stated, as reported by the Attorney General's Office. "After being stopped in court twice, Harris County has officially ended its far-left ‘guaranteed income’ program."
The Attorney General first sued Harris County in April 2024, which led to the Texas Supreme Court ordering a pause on the program, preventing any distribution of funds while litigation was ongoing. Despite the setback, Harris County Commissioners Court tried to revise and restart the initiative with a similar yet costlier program, which prompted Paxton to sue again, ultimately securing another stay against the distribution of funds.
According to state constitutional law, such a program appears to be a breach of legal boundaries; "any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State … to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual," as articulated in the Texas Constitution, is explicitly forbidden, as noted by the Attorney General's Office.
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