Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Passes State Senate
The bill moves on to the state House of Representatives for approval.
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State welfare recipients are one step closer to having to undergo drug testing before they receive state money, since the Georgia Senate passed the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act on Wednesday. However, the bill still needs to go to the state House of Representatives for approval before it becomes law.
Sponsored by Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell), the legislation requires recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to undergo drug screening to determine welfare eligibility.
“True compassion is doing what’s best for people, not what’s easiest,” said Albers. “This is the ideology behind why the bill is named the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act. With the passage of SB 292 today, we will help ensure the proper allocation of taxpayer-funded TANF benefits and prevent these funds from being diverted to illicit drug use.”
Under this legislation, the drug testing requirement is modeled after the tests required by the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs or other professionally valid procedures. If enacted into law, this test would require a swab test in lieu of urinalysis.
For the full story, visit Roswell Patch.
Should welfare recipients have to undergo drug testing? Tell us in the comments.
Susan Taylor
8:48 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
Yes. This should have been a requirement from the beginning.
Elizabeth Schartok
7:52 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Its a horrible waste of tax payer money, as Florida is already finding out. Not to mention its unconstitutional.
"Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.
That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month’s worth of rejected applicants.
Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year"
from
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/aug/24/3/welfare-drug-testing-yields-2-percent-positive-res-ar-252458/