New Facts: Hinojosa Proposes $1,500 Direct Payments

Gina Hinojosa unveiled a plan to send a one-time $1,500 check to every Texas household if elected, rolling it out during her Money in Your Pocket tour at a Houston grocery store. She calls the payments a “corruption tax refund.” The estimated cost is $17 billion.

The money would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which held a record $24.8 billion as of November 2025, and her plan leaves about $10 billion in reserve. She says she would declare an affordability emergency on day one and ask lawmakers to pass a bill authorizing the checks. Using the fund would require approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources