- Aug 16, 2011
- 129,184
- 24,640
- 2,180
Brownback signs bill that requires welfare, unemployment recipients to be tested for drugs
TOPEKA Calling drug addiction a scourge in Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law Tuesday a bill to test welfare and unemployment recipients suspected of using illegal drugs.
This is a horrific thing that hits so many people, he said. What this effort is about is an attempt to get ahead of it and, instead of ignoring the problem, start treating the problem.
The drug testing bill lets the Department for Children and Families require urine tests of any welfare recipient suspected of using illegal drugs. That could be triggered by a persons demeanor, missed appointments or police records.
Opponents of the bill said that may leave the decision open to peoples biases. But the bill was swiftly approved by the House 106-16 and backed by the Senate on a 29-9 vote.
Senate Vice President Jeff King, R-Independence, called it the most treatment-focused drug testing bill in the entire country.
Any person who is tested and failed, can request a second test and be reimbursed for that test, which runs about $50, if they test clean.
Welfare recipients who fail the test will lose their benefits until they complete a drug treatment and job skills program. Thats paid for by federal welfare funds. A second failed test will result in a year-long loss of benefits. A surrogate can apply for benefits on behalf of children whose parents fail a drug test and lose benefits.
Senate Bill 149, effective July 1, also bans anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from getting welfare for five years. Those convicted a second time lose benefits for life.
The testing program for unemployment recipients is similar, although Department of Labor officials will require employers who usually drug test job applicants to submit a list of people who applied and didnt get a job because they failed a pre-employment drug screen.
The testing, already required of the governor and several other top state officials, now also extends to House and Senate members suspected of illegal drug use.
Brownback signs bill that requires welfare, unemployment recipients to be tested for drugs | Wichita Eagle
When farmers get tested for drugs for all the taxpayer parasitism they engage in, we'll know this isn't based on racism and heartlessness.
So, you don't like to...eat?