Austin, TX
Bills banning guaranteed income programs fail at Texas legislature
Programs where governments give cash to low-income people with no strings attached may be permitted to continue in Texas after lawmakers failed to pass bills barring these programs.
Republican lawmakers filed four bills this legislative session to stop guaranteed income programs, arguing that public money should not be given to private individuals without a clear purpose.
But while at least one bill appeared to have the momentum needed to become law, all eventually failed.
Both state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston and state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, a Republican from the Austin area, authored bills prohibiting direct or indirect cash payments from local governments to individuals.
Renee Dominguez
/
KUT News
Senate Bill 2010, filed by Bettencourt, showed the most promise of becoming law this session. Lawmakers passed it out of the Senate. It went to the House. But once there it died.
Bettencourt did not respond to a request for comment, while Troxclair’s office declined an interview.
Guaranteed income programs have become increasingly popular in the U.S. New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans all have or had guaranteed income programs. Supporters of guaranteed income programs have painted them as necessary safety nets, especially as the cost of food and housing has risen across the country.
“It is the fine line between living in survival mode, just barely making it, and being able to thrive and take care of yourself,” said Ashleigh Hamilton, who was part of a guaranteed income program in Texas during the pandemic and testified against these bills during the legislative sessions
Austin has had a guaranteed income program since 2022. Last year, the city committed to giving 97 people $1,000 a month for a year. Participants received their last payment in May.
But as much as these programs have been celebrated, they have equally been criticized. GOP-led states, including Iowa, Arkansas and Idaho, have outlawed them.
Even before the legislative session began it was clear guaranteed income would be a target of Texas lawmakers. In Jan. 2024, Bettencourt asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate whether guaranteed income programs violate the state constitution.
Months later, Paxton made his opinion clear: He sued Harris County to halt its guaranteed income program. The Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling freezing the program.
“There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas,” Paxton wrote in the lawsuit. He pointed to a clause in the state’s constitution prohibiting public funds from being given to private individuals with no clear aim.
Lawmakers made similar arguments this session. They also questioned in hearings whether government cash programs that don’t require participants to work encouraged people to work less.
Research on the impacts of guaranteed income on employment are mixed. One study found that people who got $1,000 a month worked, on average, 1.3 fewer hours a week than people who did not receive this cash. Other researchers have found no impact on work hours.
Lawmakers did not spend much time debating how people who participate in guaranteed income programs spend that money, which has historically been a critique of these programs. In one study of Austin’s guaranteed income program, people who received the money said they spent most of it on housing, either in the form of rent or mortgage payments.
It’s unclear if Austin will continue to fund its guaranteed income program. Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, who represents parts of Southeast Austin and has been an advocate of guaranteed income in the past, said Monday she would push to continue it. The city typically finalizes its budget in August.
KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Kerrville issued a shelter-in-place Thursday morning, with heavy rain causing reported evacuations early Thursday morning. A Flash Flood Warning is currently in place for Kerr County as the Guadalupe River continues to rise.
Around 5:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said a “large and deadly flood wave is moving down” the Guadalupe River.
KXAN First Warning Weather Meteorologist Kristen Currie said approximately 11 inches of rain have fallen northwest of Kerr County since 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The Guadalupe River is expected to reach major flood stage in multiple areas.
Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter said “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.” Officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
Here are the latest headlines:
Live updates
7:03 a.m.: KXAN’s Kevin Baskar is in Gillespie County providing updates on the latest flood conditions in the area. Watch his update below.
6:37 a.m.: Kerr County officials emphasized not to drive through flooded streets and to turn around if water covers the roadway.
Evacuations were underway in multiple areas, according to the county, including:
- Goat Creek
- Arcadia Loop
- Lowery/Guadalupe area
- Junction Highway low-water crossings
- Other low-lying neighborhoods
Emergency shelters are open at Impact Church (Goat Creek evacuation point), Calvary Temple Church and City West Church for people in West Kerr County, the county said.
6:27 a.m.: Video shows emergency crews hauling boats and rescue equipment through Kerrville.
6:15 a.m. NewsNation correspondent Xavier Walton and his photographer captured a structure being swept up in river water and crashing into a Kerrville bridge. The structure appears to be some sort of shipping container, pushing against the bridge.
Watch the video below:
6:08 a.m.: Kerr County PIO Lisa Walter confirms “there have been multiple swift water rescues and evacuations.”
6:02 a.m.: The Guadalupe River at Center Point is expected to crest at 35 feet, which is the same crest as July 4, 2025.
5:57 a.m.: The National Weather Service said “a large deadly flood wave” is moving down the Guadalupe River.
5:49 a.m.: The Comfort Volunteer Fire Department said it has units in Kerrville and Centerpoint alerting people along the Guadalupe River. They’re helping Kerr County with evacuations along Highway 27 between Comfort and Centerpoint. They said all VFD personnel are OK.
5:30 a.m.: The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it’s received reports of “street flooding in Ingram, and it’s likely many roads and city streets are flooded as well.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
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