Attorney General Ken Paxton has officially defeated an attempt by the Harris County Commissioners Court to illegally redistribute taxpayer funds through a “guaranteed income” program that violated state law.
Harris County previously voted to reallocate the program funds in June and has now told the court that their illegal programs will be ended.
“This unlawful free handout scheme pushed by champagne socialists like Lina Hidalgo has now been completely defeated,” said Attorney General Paxton. “After being stopped in court twice, Harris County has officially ended its far-left ‘guaranteed income’ program. I will always fight to enforce the law and prevent the illegal use of taxpayer funds.”
In April 2024, Attorney General Paxton sued Harris County to stop its original “guaranteed income” program that unlawfully distributed public money with “no strings attached.” The Texas Supreme Court ordered the County to pause the program and not distribute any funds while litigation continued.
However, the Harris County Commissioners Court attempted to restart the program by enacting a substantially similar one—with significantly increased administrative costs—which was also unlawful. Attorney General Paxton sued again and obtained another stay blocking the illegal program. The Texas Constitution explicitly forbids “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.”