Bill Text: NY A01308 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing and funding the universal basic income pilot program; requires the comptroller to establish a universal basic income pilot program to provide 10,000 participants with income of $7,200 for individuals or $14,400 for couples per year for two years; establishes participant criteria; requires a study on the program one year after its conclusion; makes an appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-09 - referred to governmental operations [A01308 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A01308-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1308

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     January 9, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. MEEKS, SIMONE, EPSTEIN, HYNDMAN -- Multi-Spon-
          sored by -- M. of A. DAVILA -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Governmental Operations

        AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to providing  funding
          for  the  universal  basic  income  pilot  program;  establishing  the
          universal basic income pilot program; making an  appropriation  there-
          for;  and  providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration
          thereof

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Universal  basic income pilot program. 1. Notwithstanding
     2  any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the state  comptroller,  no
     3  later  than  January  1,  2027, shall establish and implement a two year
     4  pilot program to demonstrate the economic impacts and  state-level  cost
     5  savings of a universal basic income.
     6    2. The pilot program shall include 10,000 participants randomly chosen
     7  from applicants from across the state. Participants shall agree to fully
     8  participate  in  the  study  and  analysis of the universal basic income
     9  pilot program. Participants in the program shall receive $7,200 per year
    10  for individuals and $14,400 per year for couples. Universal basic income
    11  received by participants shall not be included in determining  eligibil-
    12  ity  for  the  supplemental  nutrition  assistance  program or temporary
    13  assistance for needy families.
    14    3.  The  comptroller  shall  establish  eligibility  criteria  and   a
    15  selection process, including but not limited to the following:
    16    (a) participants shall be within the ages of 21 and 65 years old;
    17    (b) participants may receive social services from programs such as the
    18  supplemental  nutrition  assistance  program or temporary assistance for
    19  needy families;
    20    (c) participants shall have verifiable employment on  a  part-time  or
    21  full-time basis; and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03859-01-5
        A. 1308                             2

     1    (d)  each  participant shall have an annual income of $35,600 per year
     2  or less.
     3    4.  Not later than one year after the conclusion of the pilot program,
     4  the comptroller shall compile a report, in cooperation with the  depart-
     5  ment  of  health,  department  of  labor and New York city department of
     6  health and mental  hygiene,  to  the  division  of  budget  which  shall
     7  include, but not be limited to, the following:
     8    (a)  information  from  the  department  of  health  and New York city
     9  department of health and mental hygiene  on  the  effects  of  universal
    10  basic  income  on the health, stress levels and mental health of partic-
    11  ipants;
    12    (b) information from the department of labor assessing the  number  of
    13  individuals  seeking  employment in order to qualify for universal basic
    14  income;
    15    (c) socio-demographic information, including but not  limited  to  the
    16  age,  race, ethnicity, education level, family composition, community of
    17  residence, housing costs, additional  income,  and  government  benefits
    18  received, of each participant and their family;
    19    (d) data on how individuals allocated the funds they received;
    20    (e)  analysis  of  cost benefit and cost savings extrapolated from the
    21  pilot to a true universal basic income scheme;
    22    (f) recommendations on implementing a statewide universal basic income
    23  program, including monthly payment  amounts,  that  will  maximize  cost
    24  savings and public benefits; and
    25    (g) draft legislation to implement the recommended statewide universal
    26  basic income program.
    27    §  2. Subdivision 7 of section 92-b of the state finance law, as added
    28  by section 10 of part SS-1 of chapter 57 of the laws of 2008, is amended
    29  to read as follows:
    30    7. When all the notes and bonds of  the  municipal  assistance  corpo-
    31  ration  for  the  city  of New York have been fully paid and discharged,
    32  together with interest thereon and interest on  unpaid  installments  of
    33  interest,  and  the  [chairman] chair of the corporation makes the final
    34  certification required by subdivision seven of section  ninety-two-d  of
    35  this  article,  the comptroller must notify the commissioner of taxation
    36  and finance that all remaining funds held in the stock transfer tax fund
    37  must be released to the stock transfer incentive fund.  From  that  time
    38  forward,  all  funds previously deposited in the stock transfer tax fund
    39  pursuant to subdivision two of this section will be  deposited  directly
    40  into  the stock transfer incentive fund pursuant to all the rules, regu-
    41  lations or instructions  that  the  commissioner  may  prescribe,  after
    42  deducting  the  amount  the  commissioner determines to be necessary for
    43  reasonable costs of the  department  in  administering,  collecting  and
    44  distributing  the  tax  imposed  by  article  twelve of the tax law, and
    45  beginning January first, two thousand twenty-seven, after deducting  the
    46  amount  the  comptroller  determines  is necessary to fund the universal
    47  basic income pilot program established pursuant to a chapter of the laws
    48  of two thousand twenty-five.   Notwithstanding any other  provisions  of
    49  this  article,  to the extent those moneys are not required by the stock
    50  transfer incentive fund for the  purpose  of  administering  and  making
    51  distributions  in  accordance with the provisions of section two hundred
    52  eighty-a of the tax law, as certified by the  commissioner  of  taxation
    53  and  finance,  the  balance will be appropriated to the city of New York
    54  for the support of local government.
    55    § 3. The sum of two hundred eighty-eight million ($288,000,000), or so
    56  much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated  to  the  state
        A. 1308                             3

     1  comptroller,  fifty  percent  out of any moneys in the state treasury in
     2  the general fund to the credit  of  the  universal  basic  income  pilot
     3  program, not otherwise appropriated, and fifty percent out of the moneys
     4  in  the  stock  transfer  tax  fund to the credit of the universal basic
     5  income pilot program, and made immediately available, for the purpose of
     6  carrying out the provisions of this act. Such moneys shall be payable on
     7  the audit and warrant  of  the  comptroller  on  vouchers  certified  or
     8  approved by the comptroller in the manner prescribed by law.
     9    §  4.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
    10  deemed repealed five years after such date.