By Grace Deng<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See original post here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Evergreen Basic Income Pilot Program would pay qualifying participants a monthly amount equal to the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment where the participant lives. Fair market rent is a statistic used by government agencies and nonprofits that represents the cost of a moderately-priced rental home in a local housing market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we all want the same things,\u201d said Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent, lead sponsor of the bill. \u201cWe want a roof over our head, we want food in our pantry and we want our family to be safe and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut we know that is not the reality for many people in Washington state,\u201d she said at a Tuesday committee hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Senate Bill 6196<\/a>, participants are eligible if they\u2019re a low-income adult or emancipated minor, a Washington resident and are experiencing a major life event associated with economic instability, such as homelessness, pregnancy, or exiting foster care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the third session where the Legislature has considered a basic income program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the proposal is approved, the state wouldn\u2019t be the first to test out temporary universal basic income<\/a>. Studies of programs in cities across California, Texas, Colorado and other states<\/a> have shown that guaranteed monthly payments can help lift people out of poverty and homelessness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been basic income programs in cities and counties in Washington, too, including Growing Resilience in Tacoma<\/a>, or GRIT, where 110 households received $500 a month for a year. However, if the Evergreen Basic Income Pilot Program is enacted, Washington would become the first to try a guaranteed income experiment statewide. Oregon has considered a similar program. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington\u2019s proposed program aligns with a Department of Social and Health Services feasibility study<\/a> which suggests that fallout from COVID-19, rising living costs, and other factors eroding economic stability for people in recent decades make the time ripe for such a program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report found that while the cost of providing universal basic income will outweigh benefits initially, the investment would have a \u201cstrong potential to yield a large return over time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe spend more money administering services and deciding whether or not people qualify for money than if we just handed it out,\u201d said Cherish Cronmiller, representing housing assistance group Olympic Community Action Programs, during public testimony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cronmiller said her organization just finished an 18-month basic income pilot program handing out $500 monthly payments to 20 households and has seen the benefits firsthand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Critics who testified against the bill said it would drain taxpayer resources and called it unfair to allow non-citizens, including undocumented residents, to apply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you think no one lies to get no-strings-attached money?\u201d said one testifier, Sharon Damoff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n