Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2023
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a three-year pilot program to provide a guaranteed monthly income to individual taxpayers between the ages of 18-65. HHS must consult with the Internal Revenue Service and certain nonpartisan and nonprofit agencies or academic institutions with expertise in social science experimentation to develop and award income subsidies to eligible taxpayers and to conduct a study on the outcomes of the program.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5776 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5776
To establish a pilot program providing certain individuals with a
guaranteed monthly income, to study the effect of a guaranteed monthly
income on such individuals, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 27, 2023
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Payne, Mr. Torres
of New York, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Lee of California,
Mr. Mullin, Ms. Norton, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Crockett, and Ms. Jacobs)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program providing certain individuals with a
guaranteed monthly income, to study the effect of a guaranteed monthly
income on such individuals, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act
of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Too many Americans cannot achieve financial stability
due to income volatility, the rising cost of living, wage
stagnation, and a lack of affordable housing.
(2) Real wages have failed to keep pace with inflation,
meaning the purchasing power of American households has not
changed in decades.
(3) Income volatility, defined as an annual income
fluctuation of 25 percent or more, impacts millions of American
households.
(4) Two-thirds of Americans are worried they wouldn't be
able to cover their living expenses for just 1 month if they
lose their primary source of income, while 57 percent of
American adults are currently unable to cover a $1,000
emergency expense. That percentage is higher for millennials at
79 percent, and Generation Z at 85 percent, unable to cover an
emergency expense.
(5) Full-time minimum wage earners cannot afford an average
2-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States.
(6) The changing nature of the economy, including the rise
of the gig economy, unemployment risks posed by automation, and
the fluctuating nature of waged labor, will result in increased
income volatility and prohibit upward economic mobility.
(7) During the height of COVID-19, the Federal Government
provided stimulus checks to the American people in response to
the economic hardship of the pandemic. The Census Bureau
complied an analysis that showed that material hardship in
United States households fell sharply following the passage of
the COVID-19 relief bill in late December 2020, and the
American Rescue Plan in March 2021. From December 2020 to April
2021, food insufficiently fell by over 40 percent, financial
instability fell by 45 percent, and reported adverse mental
health symptoms fell by 20 percent.
SEC. 3. GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue, shall establish and implement a 3-
year pilot program (hereinafter referred to as the ``program'') to
provide a guaranteed monthly income to certain eligible individuals in
accordance with this section.
(b) Income Subsidy.--
(1) Selection of participating eligible individuals.--The
Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner and the
external partner selected pursuant to subsection (d), shall
develop selection criteria that the Secretary will use to
select 20,000 total eligible individuals for participation in
the program.
(2) Amount of income subsidy.--Of the eligible individuals
participating in the program, 10,000 shall receive a cash
payment each month equal to the fair market rent for a 2-
bedroom home in the ZIP Code in which the eligible individual
resides, or a substantially similar amount as determined by the
Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner and the
external partner.
(3) Monthly distribution of income subsidy.--Each
participating eligible individual shall receive the cash
payment on the 15th day of each month.
(c) Responsibilities of Commissioner of Internal Revenue.--The
Commissioner of Internal Revenue shall be responsible for--
(1) providing the Secretary access to tax records to
administer and study the program under this section;
(2) updating the Secretary and the external partner on
changes to the taxable income of a participating eligible
individual.
(d) External Partner.--
(1) Selection.--The Secretary shall select an external
partner to provide assistance with the design, administration,
and evaluation of the program.
(2) Qualifications.--An organization selected to be the
external partner shall have demonstrated experience in--
(A) mixed-methods experimental design; and
(B) implementing cash-transfer programs.
(3) Confidentiality.--The external partner, and any
employee of the external partner, shall be treated as a Federal
employee for purposes of section 6103 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986.
(4) Data collection.--The external partner shall collect
data from participating eligible individuals as necessary to
complete the study and reports required under section 4, and to
conduct any additional research as the Secretary determines
necessary.
(e) Disregard of Cash Payments for Purposes of All Federal and
Federally Assisted Programs.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, any payment made to participating eligible individuals under this
section shall not be taken into account as income, and shall not be
taken into account as resources for a period of 12 months from receipt,
for purposes of determining the eligibility of such eligible individual
(or any other individual) for benefits or assistance (or the amount or
extent of benefits or assistance) under any Federal program or any
State or local program financed in whole or in part with Federal funds.
SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Study on Pilot Program.--The Secretary, in collaboration with
the Commissioner and the external partner, shall conduct a study on
outcomes of the program.
(b) Interim Report.--Not later than 24 months after participating
eligible individuals have been begun participating in the program, the
Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
and the external partner, shall provide an interim report on the
program under section 3 to the Congress.
(c) Final Report.--Not later than 12 months after the conclusion of
the program under section 3, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the external partner, shall
provide a final report on the program to the Congress, including--
(1) an analysis of--
(A) the effect of the monthly income subsidy
provided in section 3 on--
(i) micro-economic outcomes of
participating eligible individuals;
(ii) the health of participating eligible
individuals; and
(iii) the social costs of income
volatility, including connections with income
fluctuation and health, housing, education,
employment, childcare, and other outcomes as
determined appropriate by the Secretary; and
(B) the feasibility of expanding the program under
section 3 to include a larger number of participants;
and
(2) the results of interviews and focus groups conducted
with consenting participants of the program.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the
Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
(2) Eligible individual.--The term ``eligible individual''
means an individual taxpayer between the ages of 18-65.
(3) External partner.--The term ``external partner'' means
a non-partisan research agency or a non-profit academic
institution with expertise in social science experimentation.
(4) Fair market rent.--The term ``fair market rent'' means
the applicable fair market rent established under section 8(c)
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(c)).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$495,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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