Cambridge, MA Adopts Guaranteed Income Resolution

December 18, 2020, Cambridge, MA - In a unanimous decision, the Cambridge City Council has voted in support of a resolution to establish a guaranteed income. The resolution further solidifies the city’s commitment to advancing cash-based policies under the leadership of Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, a member of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI).

“We must provide economic relief to our residents in the wake of the pandemic’s economic havoc and the inaction of Congress to provide aid to meet the massive scale of this crisis,” said Mayor Siddiqui. “A guaranteed income is a financial lifeline providing simple, effective and direct support to keep our economy and community afloat.”

The full text of the resolution can be found in the December 14 meeting record here.

Cambridge is on track to begin a guaranteed income pilot in early 2021, partially funded by $500,000 from MGI. Founded in June of 2020 by Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, MGI is a coalition of 29 mayors committed to advancing a guaranteed income – direct, recurring cash payments to the poor and middle class. 

MGI member cities are eligible for up to $500,000 in pilot funding, thanks to a recent $15M donation by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. In addition to pilots, MGI also advocates for cash-based policies at the federal level. There are currently at least 10 Congressional bills to provide pandemic-related payments to struggling Americans, and more than 125 economists recently demanded national leaders pass another round of $1,200 stimulus checks.

MGI, together with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, has also established the Center for Guaranteed Income Research to consolidate the key learnings from the pilots taking place in MGI member cities to address knowledge gaps and allow the organization to layer data with anecdotal evidence.

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CONTACT: Saadia McConville
info@mayorsforagi.org