The bill would create a three-year pilot program run by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. It would select 20,000 individual taxpayers ages 18 to 65. Of those, 10,000 would receive a monthly cash payment equal to the fair market rent for a two-bedroom home in their ZIP Code, or a similar amount set by the Secretary. Payments would be sent on the 15th of each month. The bill would also require a study and reports to Congress about participants’ economic, health, and other outcomes.
If you are an individual taxpayer ages 18 to 65, you could be selected for the pilot. The bill does not describe specific selection criteria. If selected to receive payments, they would not count as income or resources when deciding eligibility or benefit amounts for federal programs and certain state or local programs for 12 months after each payment is received.
The bill authorizes $495 million for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. It does not specify actual spending. No publicly available information.
The bill’s findings cite income instability and living costs as concerns, and say that COVID-19 relief payments were followed by lower reported material hardship. No publicly available information about further proponents’ views.
No publicly available information.