05/05/20
If you liked that stimulus check you just received (or are about to receive) from Washington D.C. as part of the massive, $2 trillion CARES Act, then the chances are pretty good you’ll want to give a listen to a plan that’s being floated by two state House Democrats.
On Monday, Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler, of Philadelphia, and Summer Lee, of Allegheny County, circulated a memo looking for co-sponsors for their plan to give every Pennsylvania adult, aged 18 and older, $250 each to spend on groceries or household bills or some other pertinent expense.
“In the face of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many people find themselves facing wildly different economic circumstances than even a few weeks ago,” the two lawmakers wrote. “People have lost their jobs completely or had their hours reduced, many families were already only a paycheck or two away from not being able to pay their bills. Now is the time to make sure financial relief gets straight to Pennsylvanians, in the form of Pennsylvania Universal Income.”
“People whose current information is in the PennDot Driver’s License or State ID database, the Voter Registration system, or individuals who have submitted 2019 PA taxes, will automatically receive a check. The funds will not impact a person’s eligibility for any other program or assistance,” they wrote.
If that last “universal income” phrase sounds familiar, there’s a good reason for that. The idea of universal basic income, or a government guarantee of a certain amount of money for every citizen, has been percolating afresh in progressive circles for a few years now.
Read more here: https://www.penncapital-star.com/commentary/ubi-for-pa-reps-fiedler-lee-propose-sending-250-to-every-state-resident-tuesday-morning-coffee/