Budget gaps in cities across Colorado have made it more difficult to experiment with basic income programs despite their benefits, and experts argue that lack of municipal support could stifle the growth of programs intended to give unconditional payments to people to help pay for basic needs. 

Last week, the Colorado legislature approved a spending package of more than $46.8 billion, and it includes deep cuts to Medicaid and other state services to cover a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Cities like Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs have also had to pare back services and programs to cover budget shortfalls. 

Even so, Colorado’s economic conditions appear ripe for experimenting with basic income programs as the cost of living continues to soar. The Colorado Polling Institute’s April statewide poll shows that many voters agree with that assessment — more than 90% identified the cost of housing, healthcare, food and insurance as problems, with more than 44% calling each category a “very big problem.” 

“In a world of finite budgets, we need to figure out what works and move away from what doesn’t,” said Kaitlyn Sims, an assistant professor of public policy at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs at the University of Denver. She and other experts convened for the Basic Income Programs in Denver and Beyond panel during Colorado SunFest 2026 on Friday.

What is basic income?

“Basic income” is most commonly known as a periodic, unconditional cash payment to all members of a community. 

That is different from “guaranteed income,” which refers to an unconditional cash payment to members of a specific group, such as students, new mothers or people who are homeless, even though the two programs are commonly confused for one another. 

Basic income is not a new idea, but it has gained steam since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 1970s, former President Richard Nixon floated the idea of instituting a national basic income program to replace federal spending on social services. 

Today, there are more than 80 basic income pilot programs either active or planned, according to the Income Movement, a nationwide coalition of lawmakers advocating for basic income pilots. More than 75,000 participants across 35 cities have received cash through these programs. 

The idea behind the programs is that if people have help with basic income, it can bring stability in the workforce because people can afford to get to work and have childcare, housing stability, food security and better overall health with less stress about finances.

There are basic income-esque programs already in place across the country. In Colorado, the Family Affordability Tax Credit pays qualifying households $3,200 per child under age 6 and $2,400 per child between ages 6 and 16. 

Another example is the Alaska Permanent Fund, a public program that pays state residents an annual dividend from oil sales.  

Michigan’s Rx Kids program also fits the basic income mold. The program offers households an unconditional payment of $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month during the first year of a child’s life. 

How does basic income work?

Denver was home to one of the nation’s largest basic income experiments. Between 2022 and 2025, the Denver Basic Income Project distributed more than $10.8 million to over 800 people experiencing homelessness who were categorized into three groups. 

Group 1 received $1,000 per month for 12 months; Group 2 received $6,500 up front and $500 per month for a year; and Group 3, also known as the “active comparison” group, received $50 a month. Every participant also received a cellphone and a bank card. 

The funding was pooled from a variety of sources, including capital gains realized by program founder Mark Donovan’s investments and a $4 million investment from the city of Denver, funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. 

The results of the program were “mixed,” according to Daniel Brisson, another Colorado SunFest panelist and the director of DU’s Center for Housing and Homelessness Research, but not in a “good or bad” kind of way. 

“There is so much happening in so many different directions,” Brisson said. 

All three groups improved housing outcomes, reduced the number of days they spent in hospitals and jails, and improved self-sufficiency, according to the program’s randomized control trial data. 

Perhaps most significantly, Brisson noted several subjective findings that point to the power of basic income. For instance, participants reported in surveys that they felt trusted, a rarity in traditional social services, which are often paternalistic. 

Some participants also reported spending their money to help friends and family in need, which speaks to how basic income can repair or strengthen relationships and foster a sense of belonging. 

“Many people took it as a sign that this meant something, and they were supposed to make something of it,” Brisson said. 

Despite the impact, the Denver Basic Income Project stopped issuing cash payments in September 2025 after Denver’s government decided not to reinvest in the program due to budget constraints. 

Other challenges

Basic income pilots also face headwinds outside of funding. 

The Foundation for Government Accountability, which advocates adding work requirements to social services, has urged local governments to ban basic income programs, arguing that they “discourage work and are a drag on the economy.”

Some state officials have also successfully used the courts to shut down basic income programs. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton convinced a local court in 2025 that Harris County’s basic income pilot violated the Texas Constitution’s prohibition on giving public money to individuals. The lawsuit forced the Harris County program to reallocate its funding.  

Some studies have also suggested that implementing basic income programs could increase poverty, since some proponents view them as a replacement for social services, thereby reducing the government workforce. Other studies suggest basic income could increase inflation by giving people more money to spend, similar to the pandemic stimulus checks. 

Sims noted that the potential disruptions to the government workforce are “concerning” and could lead to a significant increase in unemployment. She added that concerns about inflation are likely overblown unless a basic income pilot is paying participants a living wage. 

Right place, right time

Despite the challenges, basic income could help Coloradans navigate some budding economic issues, according to Scott Wasserman, a panelist and founder of the political consulting group Thinking Forward. 

Wasserman pointed to the latest Colorado Polling Institute data showing that 68% of Coloradans are concerned about artificial intelligence replacing their job. That’s compared with 63% of voters nationally who share the same concerns. Those pressures are being felt by high-income earners, like lawyers and doctors, and low-income earners in jobs like manufacturing. 

Meanwhile, Wasserman said many Coloradans support basic income programs that provide a “big dose” of help, especially for those living in poverty. He cited a privately funded poll that found 56% of voters support paying new parents, people experiencing homelessness and low-income households $500 per month. 

“There is political will,” Wasserman said. “I was a little shocked.”

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One of the world’s premier adaptive surfing events is getting underway in Waikiki.

AccesSurf Hawaii is hosting the 2026 Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships this week, with competition beginning Tuesday, May 5, and running through Friday, May 8, at Queen’s Surf Break.

Now in its 18th year, the championships are part of the Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Tour and bring together more than 90 adaptive surfers from around the world competing across multiple divisions.

Organizers said the championships highlight not only elite competition, but also community, culture and inclusion.

“The Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships is a powerful gathering of athletes, community and purpose,” said AccesSurf Executive Director Zoe Lewis. “We are proud to host this in Waikiki, where adaptive surfers can compete at an elite level while also experiencing the culture, community and spirit of Hawaii.”

Events began Monday with an opening ceremony at the Duke Kahanamoku Statue, kicking off a week of competition and activities.

In addition to the surf competition, the week includes special events such as the Hawaiʻi premiere of The Incredible Paulk on May 6 and a community pau hana gathering on May 7.

Surf competition runs daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will also be streamed live online.

The public is invited to attend and support the athletes, with the week wrapping up Friday with an awards ceremony.

Jonathan Clavijo-Herrera was among the first scientists in Florida to successfully establish a high-density peach orchard, using trellises to train tree branches to grow on fruiting walls, which reduces labor while increasing yields.

Now Clavijo is poised to help University of Idaho blaze trails with its fruit-production research.

On March 2, 2026, Clavijo joined the U of I’s Parma Research and Extension Center as an assistant professor and Extension specialist in pomology. In his new role, Clavijo will conduct research benefiting Idaho’s fruit industry, with an emphasis on apples, cherries and peaches.

Clavijo was attracted to the job by the potential of the fruit industry in Idaho, the opportunity to research new types of fruit, the high quality of the laboratory facilities at Parma and the ample orchard space.

“I feel there’s a lot of support from the Parma station team,” Clavijo said. “I feel like there are a lot of opportunities here. There’s a lot of work to be done for sure in the orchard and the lab and everything, but I’m really encouraged by the support I’m receiving from the university, and the willingness of the growers to partner and collaborate is amazing.”

Originally from La Paz, Bolivia, Clavijo earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences and production from Zamorano University in Honduras. He continued his education at University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in horticultural sciences. Early on in his graduate studies, Clavijo completed an internship involving the use of LED lighting for the indoor production of leafy greens. He researched how to improve commercial production and water use efficiency in greens by manipulating the light spectrum.

As a master’s student, Clavijo studied the potential for a Florida olive industry.

“We evaluated three olive varieties in two locations to see how they would perform,” Clavijo said. “We also tested different strategies to establish those trees.”

Furthermore, Clavijo helped develop a tool to help olive farmers adjust their fertilization management practices under local growing conditions.

His doctoral dissertation entailed researching how a rootstock — the underground part of a plant onto which another variety is grafted — can affect the performance of the above-ground portion of a tree, known as the scion. He and his research team found that certain rootstocks improved the capacity of trees to uptake water and nutrients. The team also found that rootstocks can affect the expression of genes related to dormancy, which enables a tree to withstand winter temperatures while conserving energy for the growing season.