On Thursday, Michigan senators passed a Republican-backed bill that will require drug tests for welfare recipients.
The bill, passed in a 25-11 vote, would require the Department of Human Services to set up a suspicion-based drug-testing pilot program in three counties. The counties have not been selected yet.
According to the Detroit Free Press:
The bill included $500,000 to pay for the drug testing, which would be administered if DHS had a suspicion that the welfare recipient was using illegal drugs.
If a recipient’s first test showed drug use in violation of state law, DHS would refer the person to a treatment program. If a recipient fails the test a second time or refuses to take the test, he/she would be disqualified for assistance.
There are, however, amendments to the bill that would protect the benefits for children of parents who tested positive for illegal substances, as well as people with medical marijuana cards or valid prescriptions for drugs.
“When it comes to drug testing, individuals using taxpayer money for assistance need to be held accountable for abusing it — period,” bill sponsor Sen. Joe Hune, R-Whitmore Lake, said in a statement.
But not everyone agrees, namely Democrats who strongly opposed the bill.
Sen. Vincent Gregory, D-Southfield, said it was wrong to single out poor people for testing.
“I’m continually frustrated by the priorities of this Legislature and the ongoing attacks on the low-income residents of the state,” he said. “The companies we give tax breaks to are not required to be drug tested. We give out tax credits to schools, students and police and fire, and now the only ones subject to drug screening are the poorest of the poor.”
Michigan would save $4,700 a year for every person removed from the welfare rolls, according to an analysis of the bill done by the Senate.
To read more about the discriminatory bill, click here.
SOURCE: Detroit Free Press | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
