ATLANTA (Reuters) - Adults applying for welfare in Georgia would have to pass a drug test before receiving benefits under a bill approved by the state Senate late on Wednesday.
The legislation, called the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act, is designed to ensure that welfare payments, called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, are not diverted to illicit drug use."
The legislation, which now goes to the Georgia House, would not affect welfare payments to children. Under the bill, if a parent failed a drug test, children could still receive payments through another person designated by the state.
Two states, Michigan and Florida, have adopted similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Michigan Court of Appeals in 2003 ruled that state's law unconstitutional. Florida's law has been temporarily blocked by a federal lawsuit.
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12 comments:
Welfare payouts are called "Temporary Assistance to Needy Families." It is only meant to be temporary so then a mandatory drug test is only appropriate. It's part of the program to get people back on their feet. Alot of jobs now a days requires drug testing so requiring this for benefit recipents is helping them in the right direction-the only compassionate thing to do.
It's the humane thing to do. We are deeply aware of the suffering these addicts are going through and mandatory drug testing, until they are able to overcome their illness and get back on their feet, is one of the things we can do as a sympathic society to help them.
Don't get too excited. You know holder, the naalcp and the aclu (pretty much all the same) will sue. It will be held up for two or three years in court system and the country will be long crumbled by then. It ain't gonna happen.
What they should do is if they fail the drug test then they have a choice: agree to be spay or neutered and then they will be reinstated into the food stamp program after the procedure, if they don't agree then they are out.
any body that gets a government check should be checked. I don't wont to pay for anyone to take drugs.
They sell there food cards for cash
12:11 is absolutly correct they do sell the food cards for cash and they sell them for pennies on the dollar.
Alcohol and tobacco should also be tested for. A person on public assistance should not be able to afford these very expensive vices. In an awful lot of these cases the persons receiving assistance don't need it, they want it. Lets face it, a lot of people wont walk 2 blocks to go to work but they will crawl 10 miles to get alcohol, drugs and smokes.
Here is the issue when drug testing was introduced in 1988 it was designed to protect citizens from high or intoxicated employees in the work force.
Georgia extended that law to include Politicians in 1996. stands to reason since they have the most influence on our lives.
The United States Supreme Court struck down that law in an 8 to 1 decision claiming that it violated a Politicians 4th amendments right to search and seizure under the Constitution. All Politicians are now exempt.
If this law violates the 4th amendment issues for them why not the American Citizen?
The goals of the TANF program includes:
1). assisting needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes.
A child with a parent or guardian who uses drugs illegally has a greater risk of not being cared for properly.
2). reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage.
A parent who uses illegal drugs is not being properly prepared for work nor marriage.
3). preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies
We all know of the tendency to behave a certain way while under the influence of certain substances.
Drug testing is a no brainer for those receiving these benefits if the current goals are to be achieved.
Are they going to drug test everyone who receives Government money? For any reason other than welfare? If not, then it is unfairly targeting a certain group. Test everyone or no one.
It not about someone receiving government money 10:19. It's about the goals of the program in which these funds are coming from. Your argument has no merit and doesn't make sense.
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