'RATs Furious as Texas lawmakers OK drug tests for some unemployment applicants

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-usa-texas-drugs-idUSBRE94M00520130523

Texas lawmakers OK drug tests for some unemployment applicants
AUSTIN, Texas | Wed May 22, 2013

(Reuters) - Texas came a step closer to requiring some applicants for
unemployment benefits to first undergo drug testing, when lawmakers
gave final approval to a Republican-backed bill mandating such checks
on Wednesday.

The measure, which passed the state House 104-42, had already passed
the state Senate. Texas Governor Rick Perry had earlier urged
legislators to require drug tests for those seeking unemployment or
welfare benefits in the state.

A separate bill mandating drug testing for certain welfare applicants
passed in the Senate but failed in the House late on Tuesday after
chamber Democrats managed to block it from coming to a vote before a
midnight deadline. The biennial legislative session, which began in
January, is due to wrap up on Monday.

The unemployment benefits measure would require certain unemployment
applicants to complete a written screening, and if that indicates they
are a likely drug user, they would have to pass a drug test to be
eligible for benefits.

Only applicants seeking work in occupations that already require drug
testing - such as aviation and trucking - would be subject to the drug
screening. Those already enrolled in a drug treatment program - or
those who enroll in treatment after failing a drug test - would still
be eligible for benefits.

"The intent of this bill is to help lift people up and help them
towards a better way," Republican Brandon Creighton, the House author
of the bill, told colleagues on Wednesday, "and at the same time
making sure that the unemployment benefits fund is solvent and there
to help those that need it the most."

But Democrats argued that there is no indication that people who lose
their jobs are especially likely to use drugs.

"Losing a job is a very traumatic thing," Democratic Representative
Chris Turner said on the House floor on Tuesday night, when the House
tentatively approved the bill. "Aren't we just adding insult to injury
in what is a very traumatic situation already?"

Two states have passed laws requiring drug testing of unemployment
benefits recipients, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures (NCSL). Indiana passed its law in 2011 and Kansas passed
one this year that goes into effect in July.

Texas' welfare proposal would have required applicants for Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families, which provides cash welfare benefits,
to undergo a drug screening and, in some cases, a drug test.

At least eight states have passed legislation regarding drug testing
or screening for applicants or recipients of public assistance such as
welfare and food stamps, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures.

The newest legislation was signed into law in Kansas in April, and
Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah have
also passed bills. But Florida's law has been halted by courts, and
Tennessee's is a requirement for state officials to develop a plan and
report back to lawmakers.

Proposals to require drug testing of welfare applicants and recipients
gained traction in 2011, and at least 29 states have proposed such
legislation in 2013, according to the NCSL.


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