VIDEOS: Iowa House and Senate debate ban on basic income programs

UpLift—The Central Iowa Basic Income program has reported making strides in studying the impacts of no-strings-attached monthly income for Iowans needing it most, but Iowa Republicans aren’t hearing it. HF 2319 is a bill to ban local governments from participating in such programs without state permission, and it passed the House after much debate around local control, tax dollars, and legislative priorities. UpLift is the only program is the only program of its type in Iowa and its participants reside in Dallas, Polk, and Warren counties.

Rep. Elinor Levin (D-Iowa City) asked Republican lawmakers their motivations for wanting to ban evidence-based programs like basic income that give money directly to their constituents who need it the most.

@iowastartingline Rep. Elinor Levin (D) asked Republican lawmakers their motivations for wanting to ban basic income programs that give money directly to people who need it the most. Read more at the link in our bio. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

Rep. Monica Kurth (D-Davenport) expressed concern for the families who rely on the support.

@iowastartingline Iowa Republicans want to stop UpLift, the Central Iowa Basic Income Program that receives no state funds, even though it has reported making strides in studying the impacts of no-strings-attached monthly income for Iowans needing it most. A bill to ban local governments from participating in such programs without state permission passed the House this week, and Rep. Monica Kurth (D) expressed concern for the families who need the support. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

Rep. Sharon Sue Steckman (D-Mason City) asked why the legislature opens with a prayer every day, but makes efforts to take effective support programs away from Iowans who need them most.

@iowastartingline During a House debate on a bill to ban basic income programs, Rep. Steckman (D) asked why the legislature opens with a prayer every day, but makes efforts to take effective support programs away from Iowans who need them most. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

Rep. Steve Holt (R-Denison) compared these types of public programs to allowing local governments to have differing laws on murder.

@iowastartingline During an Iowa House floor debate on a bill to ban basic income programs, Rep. Steve Holt (R) compared those types of public programs to allowing local governments to have differing laws on murder. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

Rep. David Jacoby (D-Coralville) asked Republican legislators about their political inconsistencies on local control.

@iowastartingline Rep. Jacoby (D) asks Republican legislators about why they’re inconsistent on local control during debate to ban local income programs. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

The bill is currently making its way through the Iowa Senate. A subcommittee meeting was held last week in which lawmakers heard preliminary research from the UpLift program coordinator, existing data from pilot programs around the country, and pleas for help from existing community support programs.

Luke Elzinga of the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), which runs food pantries in central Iowa, detailed food insecurity by the numbers for each subcommittee member’s districts to explain why the state government shouldn’t be prohibiting local solutions to rising poverty levels.

@iowastartingline During an Iowa Senate subcommittee on a bill to ban basic income programs, Luke Elzinga of the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), which runs food pantries in central Iowa, detailed food insecurity by the numbers for each subcommittee member’s districts to explain why the state government shouldn’t be prohibiting local solutions to rising poverty levels. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife #foodinsecurity #basicincome ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

An Americans for Prosperity member gave unfounded and vague reasons for supporting the ban during the Senate subcommittee meeting. Sen. Tony Bisignano (D-Des Moines) called it a “new low.”

@iowastartingline An Americans for Prosperity member gave unfounded and vague reasons for supporting a ban on basic income programs during a Senate subcommittee meeting. Sen. Tony Bisignano (D) called it a “new low.” The bill in question targets Polk County’s UpLift program, a pilot study aiming to define the local impacts of basic income programs. Seventy percent of UpLift’s funds are from private and nonprofit donors and the rest are from a federal grant under the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. To be eligible for the program, participants must live with at least one dependent and have a household income at or below 60% of the Area Median Income. Preliminary data from the study, as disclosed in the subcommittee meeting by the program’s coordinator Ashley Ezzio, shows the majority of participants use the monthly check on groceries and housing costs. #iowa #iowanews #iowalife ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

UpLift is a pilot study aiming to define the local impacts of basic income programs. Seventy percent of UpLift’s funds are from private and nonprofit donors and the rest are from a federal grant under the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. To be eligible for the program, participants must live with at least one dependent and have a household income at or below 60% of the Area Median Income. Preliminary data from the study, as disclosed in the Iowa Senate subcommittee meeting by the program’s coordinator Ashley Ezzio, shows the majority of participants use the monthly check on groceries and housing costs.