Bill > HR5830

This bill establishes a three-year pilot program to provide a guaranteed monthly income to 20,000 eligible individuals (taxpayers aged 18-65) as a way to address income volatility and financial instability. Under the program, 10,000 participants will receive a monthly cash payment equal to the fair market rent for a two-bedroom home in their ZIP code, distributed on the 15th of each month. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, will select participants and an external partner (a non-partisan research agency or academic institution) to help design, administer, and evaluate the program. The external partner will collect data to study the program's impacts on micro-economic outcomes, health, and social costs related to income fluctuation. The cash payments will not be counted as income for purposes of determining eligibility for federal or federally-assisted programs for 12 months. The program requires an interim report to Congress after 24 months and a final report 12 months after the program's conclusion, which will analyze the feasibility of expanding the program and include participant interviews. Congress has authorized $495 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to fund the pilot program, drawing inspiration from COVID-19 stimulus checks that demonstrated significant reductions in financial hardship and mental health challenges.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5830/all-info