AUSTIN, Texas - A San Antonio Democrat has filed a bill that, if passed, would fulfill Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa’s promise to send $1,500 checks to every Texas household.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez’s bill was among more than 1,000 filed on Monday for the upcoming session.
The $17 billion proposal lays out a framework for how Hinojosa’s idea might work, but it will have to make it through many legislative hurdles if it is to come to fruition.
Legal justification for sending the checks
What we know:
State lawmakers generally can’t hand out payments directly to individuals. However, there is an exception for cases of "public calamity." This can include things such as a severe storm, epidemic, or any other situation that causes a severe disruption to a community.
In his proposal, Gutierrez states that Texas is facing an "affordability emergency," caused by rises in cost of living, food, electricity, and other necessities. He argues that this constitutes a "public calamity" and requires temporary aid, or one-time emergency household economic relief payments.
Hinojosa made a similar argument for the one-time payments while on the campaign trail, often mentioning the checks as a part of her proposed economic policy.
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Where the money would come from and how it would be distributed
Dig deeper:
The money for the checks would be drawn from the state’s "rainy day fund," which serves as an emergency financial reserve and currently holds around $27 billion. Any withdrawal from the fund requires legislative approval.
Under the bill, the Texas Comptroller would be responsible for establishing a process for determining household eligibility and distributing payments. Anyone who is 18 years or older and has lived in Texas as of Jan. 1, 2027, would meet the basic requirements.
The bill notes that "information lawfully available to the comptroller or another state agency" would be allowed to be used to identify qualified households. Residents would also be able to fill out an application online or by mail and use various documents to prove their eligibility.
The proposal also directs the comptroller to "adopt rules addressing persons experiencing homelessness," though it's unclear what that could look like.
When residents could see the money
Timeline:
The aim would be for the majority of households to receive their checks by the end of 2027, but applications would be accepted until the end of 2028.
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Bill faces major legislative hurdles
What's next:
In order to pass, the bill will need to get support from members in each house of the legislature. Democrats now control the Texas House of Representatives after the midterm elections, but the proposal could face major pushback in the Republican-dominated Senate.
The other side:
Some critics argue that sending checks to Texas households could drive up inflation. Others have also shared concerns about withdrawing money from the state’s emergency fund.
The Source: The information in this article came from the Texas Legislature's website, which includes a digital copy of Senate Bill 297, as well as previous Fox Local reporting.