House passes bill to drug test some welfare recipients

[Freddie Stubbs]

Tim Martin / Associated Press


LANSING -- Some welfare recipients suspected of illegal drug use could be tested under legislation approved early Thursday in the Michigan House.

It's the latest attempt by House Republicans to change some conditions of the state welfare system. The bill, passed just before lawmakers adjourned until after the November election, will go to the Senate for consideration when lawmakers return to the Capitol.

The bill cleared the House on a 82-25 vote, with some Democrats joining majority Republicans in supporting the bill.

The bill would allow for drug testing of a family assistance recipient if a Department of Human Services employee has a reasonable suspicion the recipient has been using drugs. The bill calls for DHS to set up a pilot program to test the measure.

more: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/UPDATE/609210430

[HuffleClaw]

1. if a Department of Human Services employee has a reasonable suspicion

bwhahahhahaaaa

and it'll take about a month before some enterprising reporter discovers that someone has 'a reasonable suspicion' about only hispanic/black folks...

[ThomCat]

15. Is it that difficult for these morons to see the

clear opportunities for racism and discrimination in a policy like this? :wtf:

[jaysunb]

2. Corporate recipients too ?

:evilgrin:

[Auntie Bush]

25. How about the president? Shouldn't he be tested too? After all

he has his mitts on the "nuclelar" button.

Also, If we can't trust welfare recipients with our money...shouldn't the President who has control of our money be tested too? Makes sense to me.

[Caution]

3. Good luck getting this fascist bill through the Senate

no freakin chance.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Republicans control the MI Senate by an almost identical margin as they

do in the MI House. They have 58% of the seats in the House and 57.89 in the Senate:

http://www.ncsl.org/ncsldb/elect98/partcomp.cfm?yearsel=2005

It seems that the bill recieved significant Democratic support in the House. Are the Democrats in the MI Senate significantly more liberal than thise in the MI House?

[Caution]

9. I was speculating based on the traditional role of Senate over House

Less partisan, more circumspect, particularly concerned about civil liberties (at least more so than the House tends to be). I really cannot speak to the issue from a Michigan perspective though as I'm from MA.

Thanks for the info though!

[Divernan]

4. What about a pilot program for the White House & members of Bush family?

NT

[no_hypocrisy]

5. But you can still collect if you're an alcoholic, right?

[KansDem]

6. More pork for the booming "Pee in a Jar" industry...

I knew once these parasites start making the big bucks, they would be influencing Congress in an effort to make even bigger bucks...

Just the other day, I wondered with all this drug testing, why are we still fighting a "War on Drugs." Makes me wonder if drug testing has had any effect whatsoever...

[saigon68]

14. it's called " JAR WARS"

Its about 'WHO CAN PISS MOST IN A BOTTLE" and the men and women who analyze the resulting urine

[Tellurian]

8. Actually, the results can be manipulated by the tester either way..

If the testing lab is told to give you a "positive" test they will (or else!)
And if you are receiving any federal or state moneys, they will be terminated.
Therefore you will be considered indigent and homeless. And most likely sent
to a camp.

[Jersey Ginny]

24. Unlikely

These labs contract to do thousands of urine screens a week. They do work for doctors, hospitals, etc. They are not out to be sued or lose their license for falsifying records. Welfare recipients have rights. NJ has a strong legal aid program which really advocates successfully for clients. Sadly, heavy drug use does affect the welfare recipient in quite high numbers (about 1/3, higher in the "GA" population, single adults, usually male). We have an obligation to not allow people to die.

[azurnoir]

10. May this go the same way as

the polygraph testing of applicants in the '70's.

[KamaAina]

11. Is it possible to get a positive test from "secondhand smoke"?

:smoke:

Great. Get caught in a room with people who are using, get thrown out on the street. I wish I lived in a free country, like the USA... uh-oh... :scared:

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. That happened to someone I know

It has been 20 years ago so hopefully the tests are more sophisticated by now.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. I don't think that they are testing for tobacco

Only illegal drugs.

[KamaAina]

16. Who said anything about tobacco?

hence "secondhand smoke" in quotes, and the :smoke: emoticon, which clearly refers to another smokable, and sadly illegal, herb :-)

[greccogirl]

22. that will be

the next thing.

[hughee99]

17. Will they also pay for rehab? n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Helping people regain their dignity--by peeing in a cup?

Now they're using DHS as a tool in their FUBAR war on drugs.

[bpeale]

19. here's what i think...

I think every member of congress and every senator, the president & all of his cabinet and appointees for courts and other departments should ALL, without exception, be drug tested and then committed ... before they drug test a single welfare person.

[Jersey Ginny]

20. Some facts to consider-from the trenches of welfare

In NJ (and I suspect this is a statistic that will apply to the rest of the country as the sample was large) 33% of all TANF clients (parents on welfare with kids) who volunteered to give hair samples tested positive for illegal drugs and that does not include alcohol! Most welfare recipients do not test positive. However, many do and they are unable to participate in required work activities. They nod out, fall asleep, don't show up, come in the morning with alcohol on their breath. In most states, these clients get "sanctioned" (benefits cut) by welfare yet their addiction remains untreated! These folks, without anyone to intervene, will get sicker and die. I see it all the time as this happens to be my field. We are not helping people by ignoring their disease. We are not helping people by giving them a check and then doing nothing to help them get on their feet. It is just placating those on the bottom of the economic chain so that the middle and upper classes aren't disrupted. In NJ, we offer quality substance abuse treatment for welfare recipients. We work with clients through their recovery process. We take clients back who have left and want to return. The goal is getting the client back to work. Welfare recipients do risk losing benefits if they don't follow through with their treatment. However, we are not helping people by ignoring their disease. They are dieing of mind, body, and spirit! Their children are suffering as a result of the disease of addiction. Please know that it is possible to strike a balance between civil rights of folks seeking needed welfare and providing logical and professional support services to help people get back on their feet. I see it every day and I'm proud of the numerous success stories that are very human and real.

[VegasWolf]

21. So, if they are using marijuana to help their pain, glaucoma, or whatever

the government can stop paying their benefits. Fucking asshole of a government.

[Jersey Ginny]

23. Would be an incredibly rare exception

Not one has said that the reason for testing positive for marijuana was because of medical use. First of all, if someone is so sick that they use marijuana for pain management or glaucome, they'd be receiving SSI or other disability income, not likely welfare, which pays much less than disability. If I ever encounter one of these folks, I'll let you know. I do encounter many clients who use heroin for "pain management" and their lives are a mess.

[William Bloode]

27. Don't you think they won't!

The government has a hard on for medical marijuana. You may thing they rarely do anything about marijuana, but the fact is over 400,000 people were arrested for grass last year. More than all other drugs combined.

[LeighAnn]

26. This will cost more than it saves

I'll bet. "Clean Pee" industry will thrive.

[DumpDavisHogg]

28. Isn't it nice to know the Michigan House is run by Nazis? n/t

[AtomicKitten]

29. The ACLU might have something to say about this.

And the fact that "some Democrats" joined in makes me want to yak.

[noonwitch]

30. Engler tried this in the 90s and the courts slapped it down

This is how the state does it, this bill is totally unnecessary. There is a program that all welfare recipients who are not disabled must participate in called Work First, because all welfare recipients in Michigan are now required to work if they are able to.

Work First helps the clients find jobs. A good number of those jobs require pre-employment drug screens. If a client goes for one and fails it, he or she is referred for drug treatment. If he doesn't go to treatment, he loses all benefits and probably gets a CPS referral to boot (all state welfare recipients have kids, single adults do not get assistance at a state level, they either get SSI or nothing at all).

The beauty of this is that this way, the state is not the one requiring the drug tests therefore the state does not have to pay for the drug tests.