Harris County is being sued once again by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the county’s planned guaranteed income program, despite changes to the program intended to avoid legal challenges by limiting its scope.
Paxton’s lawsuit mirrors his April challenge to the $20.5 million program, arguing the Texas Constitution forbids governments from giving money to individuals. The Texas Supreme Court sided with Paxton in a June ruling that blocked no-strings-attached $500 monthly checks from being distributed to about 1,900 low-income residents while the lawsuit made its way through the courts system.
“Harris County acts as though the Texas Constitution does not apply to them and as though they do not have to abide by the Texas Supreme Court’s rulings,” Paxton wrote in a news release announcing the lawsuit . “Using public funds in this way directly violates the law. Harris County is willing to undermine the legal process out of apparent desperation to push this money into certain hands as quickly as possible.”