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After a string of legal losses in his fight against the Harris County basic income program called "Uplift Harris," Texas AG Ken Paxton has secured a major victory in his fight agianst the "Uplift Harris" program.
Paxton's latest defeat came yesterday at the hands of the 14th Court of Appeals, which denied Paxton's emergency order to block the Uplift Harris program. Paxton responded by filing an emergency appeal this morning with the Supreme Court of Texas, which was granted earlier this afternoon.
“Harris County’s guaranteed income scheme plainly violates the Texas Constitution,” Paxton said in a statement. “Harris County officials cannot continue to abuse their power and the people’s money to score political points, and we will fight every step of the way to hold them accountable.”
Paxton has argued that the program is essentially a lottery, in which applicants who meet various qualifications are randomly selected to receive the payments. Under Texas law, no one other than the State of Texas itself is permitted to administer a lottery.
It is also believed that the program is in violation of the Texas Constitution, specifically Article III, Section 52(a), which reads: “Except as otherwise provided by this section, the Legislature shall have no power to authorize any county, city, town, or other political corporation or subdivision of the State to lend its credit or to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual, association, or corporation whatsoever, or to become a stockholder in such corporation, association, or company.”