TWO DOZEN STATE LEGISLATORS JOIN NATIONAL GUARANTEED INCOME COALITION

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income announces Legislators for a Guaranteed Income

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) and Counties for a Guaranteed Income (CGI) announced the expansion of its network of elected officials advocating for unconditional cash aid policies. Legislators for a Guaranteed Income (LGI) is starting with 23 founding members in 17 states. They join a network of over 230 Mayors and county officials championing unconditional cash policies. So far, MGI and CGI have launched a total of 72 guaranteed income pilots, which have distributed about $335 million in direct economic relief.

Currently, there are 25 bills introduced in 11 states for some form of statewide guaranteed income program. At a time when key federal aid programs are being dismantled, the abundance of guaranteed income legislation in statehouses shows the increased leadership that state leaders are taking to pick up the slack and bolster economic stability for residents. LGI members have introduced legislation including:

• In California, State Senator Dave Cortese introduced SB 33, to provide recurring cash payments to homeless high school students as they transition into adulthood.
  
  
• In North Carolina, State Senator Natalie Murdock has introduced legislation to establish a guaranteed income program through 2035.
  
  
• Under the leadership of State Senators Graciela Guzmán and Ram Villivalam, Illinois is considering legislation to create a statewide guaranteed income fund and another proposal to add a guaranteed income-like component to the state's TANF funding.
  
  
• Tennessee's State Representative Justin J. Pearson has legislation introduced to establish a guaranteed income program offering eligible residents $3,000 per year.

"We need leaders of moral courage who see the world as it is and are ready to fight for a vision of what it can be," said Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson. "The call for guaranteed income that Dr. King put out is being answered today by hundreds of cities and counties across the nation, and I'm proud to expand the movement by joining Legislators for a Guaranteed Income."

Partnering with independent researchers, this democratic groundswell is producing the largest body of data proving guaranteed income works. Independent researchers have found higher rates of employment, improved financial stability, better housing and food security, and more time spent together as families, among other benefits.

"I began championing a guaranteed income as a County Supervisor in Santa Clara County, where we launched a pilot program for foster youth aging out of the system. In the California State Senate, I'm proud to have launched the first statewide GI program for foster youth and pregnant women in 2022 and this year I introduced SB 33 to provide homeless high school students with a guaranteed income to help them transition into college and careers," said California State Senator Dave Cortese. "A version of this legislation has already been piloted at the county level with state funding I secured. I believe youth in poverty deserve more than just survival—they deserve a real chance to thrive. That's why I'm proud to be a founding member of Legislators for a Guaranteed Income."

As the cost of living rapidly outpaces wage growth, more and more Americans are struggling to get by, despite working multiple jobs. More than one in three are considered working poor, and 63% of working Americans don't have enough saved to cover a $500 emergency–an increasingly common scenario as prices rise on many essentials.

"With the launch of Legislators for a Guaranteed Income, we are expanding our movement from one mayor in one city to more than 250 leaders in local and state government across the nation who believe we can increase economic opportunity with better policy," said Michael D. Tubbs, founder and Co-Chair of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.

Founding members of Legislators for a Guaranteed Income:

CA State Senator Dave Cortese
CA State Assemblymember Matt Haney
HI State Senator Chris Lee
IA State Representative Elinor Levin
IL State Senator Graciela Guzman
IL State Senator Ram Villivalam
MA State Representative Marjorie Decker
MD State Senator Cory McCray
MD State Delegate Gabriel Acevero
MN State Representative Athena Hollins
MN State Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten
NC State Senator Natalie Murdock
NY State Senator Andrew Gounardes
OH State Representative Dontavius Jarrells
OR State Senator Wlnsvey Campos
PA State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta
TN State Representative Justin J. Pearson
TN State Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari
TX State Representative Ron Reynolds
VT State Representative Jubilee McGill
WA State Senator T'wina Nobles
WA State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins
WI State Assemblymember Francesca Hong

Visit www.legislatorsforagi.com to learn more.

Founded in June of 2020 by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is a coalition of more than 180 mayors committed to advancing a federal guaranteed income – direct, recurring cash payments to middle and low-income people. Expanding to include city and county legislators in 2023 with Counties for a Guaranteed Income, the network acts as a research and resource hub for municipal pilots around the country–over 70 and counting. An award-winning documentary film, It's Basic, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023, follows recipients and illuminates the life-changing impact of guaranteed income programs on families' economic security and opportunity.

SOURCE Mayors for a Guaranteed Income