SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1846        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 84

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

James B. Eldridge

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to universal basic income.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1846        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 84

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

An Act relative to universal basic income.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of housing and community development shall, within six months of the effective date of this act, establish and implement a pilot program to demonstrate the individual, family, and community economic impacts and state-level cost savings of a universal basic income. In establishing a plan for the pilot program, the department shall receive input from professionals with demonstrated expertise in the fields of universal basic income, economics, labor, workforce development, and social services administration and may consider, but not be limited to considering, the following factors: (1) community selection criteria and process; (2) participant eligibility criteria and selection processes; (3) pilot program administration and management, including payment timing, systems, and processes; (4) impacts on the economic and public health benefits of a universal basic income scheme; and (5) efficient collection of quality data.

(b) The pilot program shall include 100 participants residing in each of three economically diverse cities or towns. At least one city or town shall be a rural community. Each individual participating in the program shall receive $1,000 per month per year for three years and agree to fully participate in the study and analysis plan of the universal basic income scheme.

(c) Not later than one year after the conclusion of the pilot program, the department shall file a report, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(i) socio-demographic information, including but not limited to the age, race, ethnicity, education level, family composition community of residence, housing costs, additional income, and government benefits received, of each participant and their family;

(ii) data collected biannually during the pilot program by survey, focus group, or interview to determine how individuals allocated the $1,000 per month stipend;

(iii) analysis of cost benefit and cost savings extrapolated from the pilot to a true universal basic income scheme;

(iv) consideration of how universal basic income could be used to address historic and contemporary inequalities, including, but not limited to, institutional racism;

(v) recommendations on implementing a statewide universal basic income program, including monthly payment amounts, that will maximize cost savings and public benefits; and

(vi) draft legislation to implement the recommended statewide universal basic income program.

The department shall file the report with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, who shall forward the report to the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on housing, and the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies.