HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — An appellant court denied an emergency order filed by the state of Texas to block Harris County’s guaranteed income program from going into effect.
The program, Uplift Harris, is designed to give families living in poverty $500 a month for 18 months.
The case is likely headed to the Texas Supreme Court.
In a new filing Monday morning shared by Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a state appeals court formally blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's effort to stop Uplift Harris.
Paxton sued earlier this month, calling the county's plan to provide monthly payments with no restrictions to hundreds of families “unconstitutional" and an abuse of public funds. He said taxpayer money cannot be "redistributed with no accountability or reasonable expectation of a general benefit."
"Allowing $20 million in federal funds to be given away with minimal restrictions or proper auditing is bad policy," said Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey. "There are better ways to help more people in Harris County than giving 2,000 people $500 a month for 18 months with no accountability for the expenditures."
Supporters argued that the program provides social and economic benefits to both participating families and the broader community.
Now, it will be up to county commissioners to decide whether payments will go out as the appeal goes to the higher court.
Around 1,900 families have been chosen for the program that is supposed to start on April 24. One of the recipients expecting the money is Robert Holley.
"It's going to help me tremendously with housing, groceries, bills," Holley said.
Holley sat in the courtroom when the judge blocked the temporary injunction. Now, he's hoping everything plays out the way it was designed.
The state filed a notice of appeal for this ruling to the First or 14th Court of Appeals in Houston. That has county commissioners skeptical about starting the program. They said they are worried about sending out payments only for the state to ask for the money back if the Supreme Court blocks the program.
"We want to make sure that this is a situation where any family that gets the money, they can keep the money, and they don't have to worry about compacts and trying to kick down their door and take money back from them," said Harris County attorney Christian Menefee.