Texas
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Harris County over guaranteed income program 'Uplift Harris'
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Harris County, claiming it “illegally implemented a lottery-based handout program.”
The video above is from a previous report.
The program the lawsuit is referring to is called Uplift Harris, the county’s guaranteed basic income pilot program that provides $500 per month to low-income families.
READ MORE: Harris Co. commissioners approve ‘Uplift Harris’ program, OK fight over election restrictions
According to the lawsuit, the county is violating the Texas Constitution by redistributing $20.5 million it received through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to be used for COVID-19 relief initiatives. It also claims the selection of recipients is “inherently arbitrary.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Commissioner of Harris County Precinct 1 Rodney Ellis, and Commissioner of Harris County Precinct 2 Adrian Garcia are among the defendants listed in the lawsuit.
“This scheme is plainly unconstitutional,” Paxton said. “Taxpayer money must be spent lawfully and used to advance the public interest, not merely redistributed with no accountability or reasonable expectation of a general benefit. I am suing to stop officials in Harris County from abusing public funds for political gain.”
Read the full lawsuit here:
Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee will represent the defendants in the suit, the county said.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than another attack on Harris County government by Republican state leaders looking to make headlines,” Menefee said in response to the lawsuit. “This program is about helping people in a real way by giving them direct cash assistance-something governments have always done. I cannot for the life of me understand why any public servant would be opposed to that.”
County officials said the state is seeking an immediate ruling to block Harris County from beginning to make payments under the program.
The hearing for that decision is said to take place in the next few weeks.
For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook, X and Instagram.
SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
2,000 families could be getting extra cash every month with Harris County Uplift Program
Harris Co. guaranteed income program deadline approaches, and officials push for bodycams in jail
Glitches anticipated a day before Harris Co. guaranteed income program launches, county judge says
Applications for Uplift Harris delayed as Commissioners Court set to discuss program details
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The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
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