September 27, 2023
Press ReleaseThe Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2023 Would Set Up Three-Year Program to Provide a Monthly Income to Test Group and Study Impacts
Full Text of Bill (PDF)
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced the reintroduction of the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act, legislation that would establish a nationwide pilot program to test the viability of a federally funded income support program that keeps more American families from experiencing permanent financial fallout and lasting poverty from a single unexpected crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our economy in its interactions with working people. At the same time, it demonstrated the real and meaningful ability of federal and state programs to keep Americans out of poverty.
“We are the richest country in the world at the richest moment in history. It is our duty to ensure that all Americans have access to fundamental rights like food and shelter. I am proud to join Rep. Watson Coleman in introducing the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act. This bill will help gather data about guaranteed income as an innovative way to reduce inequality and create economic security,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “Local leaders across the country are leading the way. In 2022, my hometown of Evanston, IL, piloted a guaranteed income program. I am enthused to bring that energy to the federal level. Families are counting on us, let’s get it done.”
“Many policymakers have seen this pandemic as a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, and while that may be true for businesses or markets, for millions of Americans, this is just one more emergency threatening to wipe out what little savings they have, to finally push them to homelessness, to reinforce the fact that in the wealthiest nation in the world, too many families are just a single mishap away from financial devastation,” said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. “What we learned when Congress made the decision to send economic impact payments through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan was that our government can prevent people from falling into poverty, it can build a floor beneath which we say no one in this country should fall. This bill is all about looking at ways to make that floor permanent, giving more families a sense of economic security.”
The Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2023 would establish a three-year nationwide pilot program that gives a monthly support payment to individual taxpayers implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- The pilot program created by the bill would distribute monthly cash payments to included participants in amounts equal to fair market rent for a 2-bedroom home in their zip code, or a similar amount to be determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with payments arriving on or near the 15th day of each month.
- Payments to participants made through the pilot program would not be considered when determining eligibility for federal or federally assisted state or local assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
- The bill requires HHS to work with a non-profit academic or research institution with experience in mixed-method experimental design to support development of the pilot program and ensure measurable results.
- The pilot program would include 20,000 individuals, including a control group of 10,000, to allow comparison of economic security for the families involved at the end of the three-year period.
- The bill requires HHS, the Internal Revenue Service, and the designated research institution to provide an interim report on the pilot program’s outcomes within 24 months of implementation, and a final report within 12 months of the program’s conclusion.
The Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Danny Davis (IL-07), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), and Sara Jacobs (CA-53).
Organizations endorsing the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act: Economic Security Project, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), National Coalition for the Homeless, Liberation in a Generation, NETWORK Lobby, Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, Mayors for Guaranteed Income, Universal Income Project, Creatives Rebuild New York, Institute of Race, Power, and Political Economy at the New School, Rising Communities, Oxfam America, The Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute, and San Diego for Every Child.
All official press releases from Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
