HOUSTON – After months of back-and-forth concerning the Uplift Harris program, Judge Lina Hidalgo says a new version of it has been approved by the Harris County Commissioners Court.
Uplift Harris was originally set to launch in April and was aimed at helping households in the county’s 10 poorest ZIP codes who are living below 200% of the federal poverty line. Recipients would receive $500 a month grants to help with household necessities.
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But Attorney General Ken Paxton called Uplift Harris “unconstitutional” and an “illegal welfare scheme.” Paxton filed a lawsuit, and a judge initially ruled with Harris County before the Texas Supreme Court issued a preliminary pause on the program.
But Hidalgo said in a press conference Thursday that the Commissioners Court voted to create a new version. It differs from the original program in that recipients will have limits on what they can buy with the grant.
“We’re saying that you’re going to receive a card, it’s going to be pre-loaded, and you’re only going to be able to use it for, let’s say, medicine, groceries, etcetera,” Hidalgo said.
“It will be a little bit more restrictive than what we wanted in the Uplift Harris program, but we believe that this is totally foolproof in a court of law.”
There is a chance this new version will also be litigated.
“I’m trying to contain my excitement because we’re just not at a time to claim victory,” Hidalgo said.
“We’re giving it one more shot. We want to keep our promise to these families. And if it gets caught up in the courts, there’s just nothing we can do about that. And if it doesn’t, then, we will see those disbursements in four months.”
