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King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove announced this week that he intends to push for a preliminary study into universal basic income.

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Upthegrove that the economic impact from the pandemic over the last year has made it clear to him that providing people with a stable income is crucial in times of need.

鈥淭he economic disruptions brought on by COVID-19 have cast a spotlight on the devastation caused by losing one鈥檚 income,鈥� he said.

Typically, universal basic income programs have been run by city-level governments, including a pilot starting this summer in Tacoma. That said, Upthegrove believes that looking into it at the county level could provide valuable data.

“I am interested to learn what a county program might look like and how it could be structured to best assist those who need it the most,鈥� he described. 鈥淲hat kind of qualifications would be best? What goals would be meaningful and measurable? A study that provided such answers could drive future policy discussions and now is the perfect time to look at creative economic ideas.鈥�

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Tacoma’s own pilot program will run for one year, distributing a monthly $500 stipend to roughly 100 families facing poverty. It will be funded from by a $500,000 donation from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and an additional $100,000 from the Mayors for Guaranteed Income group.

Without similar donations in King County, Upthegrove will look to fund his proposed study with a request in the spring supplemental budget, which is set for a council vote in late-June.

, roughly 43% of participants worked full- or part-time; 11% took care of parents or children; 20% had some sort of disability; and just 2% said they weren鈥檛 looking for work. Of the $500 they received monthly, 40% went toward food, 25% to sales and other merchandise, and 12% was spent on utility payments.