Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott backs guaranteed income baby fund vote

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is backing a ballot measure to establish a municipal fund that could provide direct cash payments, subsidies, or supplies to parents of newborns.

Recently, Scott and the campaign behind the Baltimore Baby Fund (BBF) issued a joint statement outlining their collaboration to build public support for the measure ahead of the election.

“Mayor Scott and the Baltimore Baby Fund campaign look forward to working together in the months ahead to earn voters’ support and, if the initiative passes, outline a program that gives Baltimore’s babies and families the strongest possible start,” the BBF campaign posted on Instagram.

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The announcement comes after organizers submitted more than the 10,000 signatures required to qualify for the ballot. The initiative officially secured a spot on the November ballot following structural revisions. Voters will decide whether to amend the city charter to establish a dedicated, permanent line item in the municipal budget for the fund.

If approved, the measure would require the city to allocate 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value into the fund. The City Council would retain authority over the specific disbursement rules and eligibility criteria through future enabling legislation.

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“Mayor Scott has always been supportive of the policy ideas driving the Baltimore Baby Fund campaign, and, now with the necessary adjustments made in the 2026 version, is eager to move it forward,” the BBF statement read.

The proposed fund is modeled after Rx Kids, a high-profile cash assistance program for prenatal and infant care launched in Flint, Michigan. Co-founded by pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and University of Michigan professor Luke Shaefer following the Flint water crisis, Rx Kids has expanded to dozens of communities across Michigan, providing eligible expectant mothers with $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month for six to 12 months after a child’s birth, depending on location.

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The initiative aligns with broader efforts by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition of over 150 U.S. mayors advocating for direct cash distributions to address cost-of-living concerns. The coalition has supported more than 100 pilot programs across the country since 2018, including a program in Cook County, Illinois, which subsequently approved local funding to make its guaranteed income initiative permanent.

Scott, National Co-Chair of Mayors for Guaranteed Income, previously oversaw a localized direct-cash pilot in Baltimore. Operating from August 2022 to July 2024, the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund provided unconditional payments to low-income parents and guardians aged 18 to 24 earning at or below 300% of the federal poverty level.

“During the meeting, Mayor Scott, National Co-Chair of Mayors for Guaranteed Income, shared that he views the fund as a natural evolution of his Administration’s guaranteed income pilot, which provided cash assistance to young parents. Participants in the pilot missed less work, were less likely to be food insecure, and had less stress,” the BBF statement noted.

It continued, “They used the money to continue their educations, pay down debt, save for emergencies, and invest in their children. Mayor Scott has always been supportive of the policy ideas driving the Baltimore Baby Fund campaign, and, now with the necessary adjustments made in the 2026 version, is eager to move it forward.”

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Neither the Scott administration nor representatives for the BBF campaign responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.