Sponsor proposes targeted universal basic income pilot for transition-age homeless youth

Legislator Jubilee introduced a short-form bill proposing a targeted universal basic income (UBI) program for transition-age youth (ages 18–24) experiencing homelessness, with the goal of reducing housing instability and supporting access to education, employment and health services.

Jubilee said the bill would "provide them with the basic resources they need to build a future free of the constant anxiety of finding shelter and stability," and pointed to pilot programs elsewhere—such as Stockton SEED, Alaska’s permanent fund model and other local pilots—that she said produced improved housing stability, mental-health outcomes and increased employment in some instances.

The sponsor left the program’s scale, dollar amount and funding source open in the short form, saying she intended to use the short-form vehicle to begin drafting and that the bill could start small or be geographically limited as a pilot. Committee members requested additional data on eligible population size, cost estimates, funding sources and evidence from pilots cited by the sponsor.

Discussion included the program’s potential to prevent chronic homelessness and to produce long-term savings if participants secure stable housing and employment. Members also asked for technical changes to the bill title ("transition-age youth" was suggested) and sought clarity on who would administer and fund a pilot; Jubilee said the program funding would come from state sources (she said "it would come from our state panel" in the hearing).

Ending: The bill was entered as a short-form proposal for committee consideration; sponsors and members agreed to return with data on pilot models, targeted population counts and funding options before any substantive bill drafting or appropriation.