HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3082        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3598

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Samantha Montaño

_________________

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:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3082        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3598

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1632 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

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 6 months of the effective date of this act, establish and implement a 3-year pilot program to demonstrate the economic impacts of a universal basic income at the individual, family, community and state level. In establishing a plan for the pilot program, the department shall solicit input from professionals with demonstrated expertise in the fields of universal basic income, economics, labor, workforce development and social services administration. The department shall develop: (i) a criteria and process for selecting 3 communities for participation in the pilot program; (ii) eligibility criteria for individual participation in the pilot program and a process for selecting participants; (iii) a system for administering the pilot program, including a system for the timing and process of monthly payments to participants; (iv) a system for studying the economic and public health impacts of a universal basic income scheme; and (v) a method for the efficient collection of quality data.

(b) Subject to appropriation, the department of housing and community development shall select 100 individuals to be participants of the pilot program. Each of the individual participants shall reside in 1 of 3 economically-diverse cities or towns to be identified by the department, at least one of which shall be in a rural community. Each individual participating in the program shall receive $1,000 per month for 3 years and shall agree to fully participate in the study and analysis plan of the pilot program.

SECTION 2. Not later than 1 year after the conclusion of the pilot program, the department shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the joint committee on housing and the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies. The report shall include, but not be limited to:

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

(iv) consideration of how a universal basic income scheme could be used to address historic and contemporary inequalities, including institutional racism;

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

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