All Americans Deserve an Income Floor.
Our Mission
Legislators for a Guaranteed Income is a coalition of state legislators from across the United States working to ensure that all Americans have an income floor.
With the launch of Legislators for a Guaranteed Income, we are expanding our movement from one mayor in one city to more than 250 leaders in local and state government across the nation who believe we can increase economic opportunity with better policy.
Michael D. Tubbs
Former Stockton Mayor & Founder of LGI
About LGI
State Legislators are Joining the Fight for a Guaranteed Income
Economic insecurity isn’t a new challenge or a partisan issue. Wealth and income inequality, which have long plagued our country, continue to grow. Even prior to the pandemic, people who were working two and three jobs still couldn’t afford basic necessities. The past few years have further exposed the economic fragility of most American households. This is our New Deal moment: Everyone deserves an income floor through a guaranteed income.
Building off his first-of-its-kind guaranteed income pilot (SEED) and rooted in Dr. King’s legacy, former Stockton Mayor Michael D. Tubbs founded Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) in June 2020. What started with 11 mayors five years ago has grown to 170 across the country, and in 2023, we launched Counties for a Guaranteed Income, which has over 40 members. This coalition of current and former elected officials has come together to advocate for a guaranteed income that invests in the working class and builds a more resilient America. We see organizing state legislators as an important evolution of our work, which is why we started Legislators for a Guaranteed Income (LGI).
All together, our coalition has launched nearly 70 pilots and disbursed more than $350 million in direct unconditional relief to everyday Americans. Along the way, we’ve shifted public opinion – a Lake Research Partners poll shows that nearly ⅔ of voters support a monthly guaranteed income of between $500-$1,000, including a majority of independents.
Mirroring and complimentary to MGI and CGI, our approach to Legislators for a Guaranteed Income is threefold: (1) invite state legislators to join the fight for economic security and guaranteed income; (2) partner in narrative change efforts to highlight the lived experience of the working class, and (3) advocate for guaranteed income policies at the local, state, and federal level.
I began championing a guaranteed income as a County Supervisor in Santa Clara County, where we launched a pilot program for foster youth aging out of the system. In the California State Senate, I'm proud to have launched the first statewide GI program for foster youth and pregnant women in 2022 and this year I introduced SB 33 to provide homeless high school students with a guaranteed income to help them transition into college and careers. A version of this legislation has already been piloted at the county level with state funding I secured. I believe youth in poverty deserve more than just survival—they deserve a real chance to thrive. That’s why I’m proud to be a founding member of Legislators for a Guaranteed Income.
Dave Cortese
CA State Senator
Founding Members
The Founding Members of LGI’s Coalition Include:
CA State Senator Dave Cortese
CA State Assemblymember Matt Haney
HI State Senator Chris Lee
IA State Representative Elinor Levin
IL State Senator Graciela Guzmán
IL State Senator Ram Villivalam
MA State Representative Marjorie Decker
MD State Senator Cory V. McCray
MD State Delegate Gabriel Acevero
MN State Representative Athena Hollins
MN State Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten
NC State Senator Natalie Murdock
NY State Senator Andrew Gounardes
OH Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius L. Jarrells
OR State Senator Wlnsvey Campos
PA State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta
TN State Representative Justin J. Pearson
TN State Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari
TX State Representative Ron Reynolds
VT State Representative Jubilee McGill
WA State Senator T’wina Nobles
WA State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins
WI State Assemblymember Francesca Hong
We need leaders of moral courage who see the world as it is and are ready to fight for a vision of what it can be. The call for guaranteed income that Dr. King put out is being answered today by hundreds of cities and counties across the nation, and I'm proud to expand the movement by joining Legislators for a Guaranteed Income.
Justin J. Pearson
TN State Representative