Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who spearheaded the county’s guaranteed income program dubbed Uplift Harris, issued the following statement criticizing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for filing a lawsuit that claims the program violates the state’s Constitution:
“This lawsuit from Ken Paxton reads more like a MAGA manifesto than a legal document. The reality is that Austin extremists like Ken Paxton could care less about the constitutionality of Uplift Harris; what they care about is maintaining a system that favors billionaires and starves working families of the support they need to thrive.
“At the local level, we refuse to be bystanders as soaring income inequality has led to 750,000 members of our community enduring a relentless cycle of poverty. We know from outcomes from other programs that recipients use resources for basic needs like housing, utilities, and food. These types of programs increase employment and provide stimulus to the local economy. Uplift Harris will be a transformational hand-up for thousands of families struggling to keep food on the tables. We are prepared to fight all the way to the Texas Supreme Court to protect it and invest in Harris County families.“