(C) Arizona Mirror This story was originally published by Arizona Mirror and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Arizona Republicans want to ban guaranteed basic income programs • Arizona Mirror [1] ['Jerod Macdonald-Evoy', 'More From Author', '- February'] Date: 2024-02 A Republican-led measure that would prohibit the state from enacting any guaranteed basic income programs cleared its first hurdle toward becoming law Wednesday. House bill 2375, sponsored by Rep. Lupe Diaz, R-Benson, would bar municipalities from adopting “any ordinance, order or rule that has the purpose or effect of making payments to persons as part of a guaranteed income program.” Guaranteed basic income, also known as universal basic income, programs have been gaining traction as a way to combat poverty. The programs are generally aimed at people making poverty-level wages who then receive between $500 to $1,000 a month from the government, depending on the program. Some states that have enacted such programs have seen success in improving the well-being of those who receive the funds. The bill’s sponsor likened the programs to socialism, a claim that has been levied by lawmakers in other states looking to enact similar preemptive bans. Diaz compared the programs to “participation awards” and specifically singled out a pilot program by the city of Phoenix. Phoenix initiated a pilot program in 2022 that sought to give $1,000 a month to 1,000 families for a 12 month period. To qualify, participants would have to be low-income families who make 80% of the area median income or less, with children, and would be chosen via a lottery system. The city used federal COVID relief money to create the pilot. Tim Puglisi, an associate fellow with the conservative think-tank The Foundation for Government Accountability, claimed that the Phoenix program had no limitations and insinuated that anyone could be chosen for the program, which is not true. The Foundation for Government Accountability has a history of seeking to curtail social safety net programs and has advocated for reducing child labor restrictions. Economists have called some of the studies by the think-tank, “junk science.” Republican lawmakers on the House Government Committee argued that guaranteed basic income programs would take from other social safety net programs such as food stamps. “So we are robbing one to pay the other,” Rep. John Gillette, R-Lake Havasu, said, adding that he believed that guaranteed basic income programs would collapse other social safety net programs. “We have been trying to fight poverty for years and years and years and never succeeded,” Rep. Betty Villegas, D-Tucson, said. “I don’t like that we are trying to do a preemption to cities and towns that want to try what is best for their communities.” Chairman Tim Dunn, R-Yuma, agreed that the legislature needs to address poverty in the state but said that “targeted solutions” like rental assistance should be the focus and not these sort of programs. The bill passed along party lines with Republicans voting in favor of the measure. It will head to the full House next for a vote. [END] --- [1] Url: https://azmirror.com/blog/arizona-republicans-want-to-ban-guaranteed-basic-income-programs/ Published and (C) by Arizona Mirror Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/azmirror/