A Democratic Texas lawmaker this week appeared to become the first to file a proposal to implement Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa’s (D-TX) campaign pitch to send one-time checks to every household in the state.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez’s bill proposed implementing Hinojosa’s idea to send $1,500 to eligible residents, which would cost $17 billion, by drawing money out of Texas’s “rainy day” savings fund. The Economic Stabilization Fund currently holds roughly $27 billion.
“The legislature finds that the statewide household affordability emergency requires prompt action,” the bill reads. “Not later than the 30th day after the effective date of this Act, the comptroller of public accounts shall adopt emergency rules and make available an application method for the payment program created by this Act.”
Gutierrez’s legislation aims to send out payments by the end of 2027.
His effort faces an uphill battle in the state legislature. Passing the bill would require two-thirds of support from both the state House, which Democrats control, and the state Senate, which Republicans control.
Similar ideas have been pitched by Republicans on the national level.
In the months leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump promised to deliver $5,000 checks to voters, funded by tariff revenue, if they handed Republicans victories on Nov. 3. That effort fell through when the GOP saw deep losses nationwide, losing majorities in the House and Senate, while shedding power in state legislatures and governors’ mansions across multiple battleground states.
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In Texas, Hinojosa ousted Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), marking an upset win in the reliably red state. The development came after she told voters while campaigning over the summer that she would seek to deliver $1,500 checks to them if she won the election.
“The government is broken,” Hinojosa told supporters in Houston in July while announcing her “corruption tax refund.” “It is more, right now, a burden than a help for people. That changes when I’m governor.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
