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New stimulus proposals look like a guaranteed income experiment. Early results show whether it will work

  • News of more coronavirus relief that could provide more than $14,000 in aid to some families is expected in the coming days.
  • The level of relief has prompted some experts to question whether more permanent guaranteed income or universal basic income policies are in the country's future.
  • Here's what some cities' early results show with regard to their efforts to help get their residents on track financially.

New York City housing advocates and tenants march to demand Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancel rent amid the pandemic on Oct. 10, 2020.Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images

The new federal coronavirus relief bill that's poised to be approved on Capitol Hill could put unprecedented sums of money into the hands of American families.

That includes new stimulus checks of up to $1,400 for adults and their dependents, as well as up to $300 per month per child through an enhanced child tax credit.

This week, some Democratic senators upped the ante, and called for recurring stimulus checks and indefinite expansion of unemployment benefits for the duration of the pandemic.

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To some experts, the move shows the idea of guaranteed income, where a certain floor of money is provided to a targeted set of people, could be gaining momentum in the U.S.

The idea of direct checks to Americans has become more popular. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang brought national attention to the concept when he proposed direct payments to individuals on the debate stage in 2019.

Around that time, cities like Jackson, Mississippi, and Stockton, California, started running tests to see exactly how these kinds of programs could work.

Now, even more places are embracing the concept, with 42 cities having signed on to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a program that helps them to follow Stockton's lead and run their own pilots.

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