Drug testing for certain welfare recipients
March 9, 2009
Jefferson City
by Chuck Gatschenberger
On March 5, I filed House Bill 949 that mirrors Senate Bill 73, which subjects certain recipients of the welfare program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) to a drug screening.
The idea for this was born when I received an e-mail from a good friend, Bill, which asked why we have to have a drug screening to apply for a job, and those receiving our hard earned tax monies for assistance do not have to submit to a drug screening.
I thought long and hard about a possible answer and could not come up with anything of substance, which prompted me to send a request to Legislative Research, asking for a bill to be drawn up to require those who receive welfare (TANF) monies to take a drug screening test.
Unfortunately, we can’t REQUIRE them to do that. If we did, we would lose the 40% match of federal money into our TANF program, but what we CAN do, is subject certain recipients to a drug screening, only if we have reasonable suspicion.
I still think this bill will be better than nothing at all.
You can contact Chuck Gatschenberger about these or other matters of concern by calling my office at 573-751-3572 or by e-mailing chuck.gatschenberger@house.mo.gov.
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