DFL Sen. Omar Fateh has introduced a bill to provide eligible Minnesotans with a basic income ranging from $350 to $1,200 that would cost the state $100 million per year during its pilot.
HF 2666/SF 2559 states that the program would “provide a monthly payment between $350 to $1,200 to eligible recipients under this section for a period of 12 to 24 months, depending on the need of the recipient.”
According to the bill, “Persons eligible to receive monthly payments under this section must be receiving public benefits or have a household income less than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.”
The purpose of the program is to “disrupt poverty, build wealth, advance equity, and support a recipient’s basic needs,” the bill says.
Recipients would not be required to demonstrate proof of residency or citizenship.
Per the proposed legislation, the money would be given to nonprofits and organizations to distribute and eligible participants could receive payments for one to two years.
Another $5 million would be allotted to the commissioner of human services to identify and train the entities that would distribute the basic income checks.
Fateh, a self-identified socialist, has had a tenure marked by controversy. He received 11 donations from individuals connected to the Feeding Our Future scheme, according to Center of the American Experiment fellow Bill Glahn. Fateh’s brother-in-law was also convicted after he lied about trafficking ballots.
Most recently, Fateh claimed on the Senate floor that his Republican colleagues look like terrorists.
Fateh is also advocating against a full repeal of the state’s tax on Social Security benefits, which some of his Democratic colleagues ran on. Instead, he would like to invest in tuition-free college.
We are hearing a lot about cutting taxes on Social Security, but most seniors are already exempt. This plan would cost billions and would not help those who need it most. Instead, let’s make college free and fund life-changing wages for the workers that care for our seniors. pic.twitter.com/L6sCf3V5aL
— Senator Omar Fateh (@OmarFatehMN) March 6, 2023
Four other Democrat authors are sponsoring the bill in the Minnesota Senate. Rep. Athena Hollins is carrying the bill in the House.
A similar bill, HF2008/SF1903, is proposing giving homeless youth, defined as an 18 to 24 year old “who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” a tax-free cash stipend, costing the government an additional $3 million yearly.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
