LITTLE ROCK, AR – A bill requiring drug tests for some people seeking government assistance has been filed in the state legislature.
Supporters say it holds people getting benefits accountable. But opponents say it’s a waste of money and targets some of the most vulnerable among us.
The temporary assistance for needy families program provides federal block grants to states in Arkansas. The money is administered through the Department of Workforce Services where they help with everything from needy families, with children to workforce training, to reducing teen pregnancy.
One Arkansas lawmaker says people receiving benefits should be screened to determine if there’s a suspicion of drug use, and if so they should be drug tested.
“The taxpayers who pay for the programs have asked me to make accountable not just the taxpayers but also the people who receive those benefits,” says Blake Johnson, (R).
A failed drug test would make recipients ineligible for the benefits for six months. Children could still receive the benefit though another caretaker.
The bills sponsor says similar requirements are being used in several neighboring states. But some lawmakers worry the program is a waste of money, saying studies show beneficiaries are much less likely to be drug users than the general public.
One lawmaker wondered how much it would actually cost the state to administer the program.
Supporters say it holds people getting benefits accountable. But opponents say it’s a waste of money and targets some of the most vulnerable among us.
The temporary assistance for needy families program provides federal block grants to states in Arkansas. The money is administered through the Department of Workforce Services where they help with everything from needy families, with children to workforce training, to reducing teen pregnancy.
One Arkansas lawmaker says people receiving benefits should be screened to determine if there’s a suspicion of drug use, and if so they should be drug tested.
“The taxpayers who pay for the programs have asked me to make accountable not just the taxpayers but also the people who receive those benefits,” says Blake Johnson, (R).
A failed drug test would make recipients ineligible for the benefits for six months. Children could still receive the benefit though another caretaker.
The bills sponsor says similar requirements are being used in several neighboring states. But some lawmakers worry the program is a waste of money, saying studies show beneficiaries are much less likely to be drug users than the general public.
One lawmaker wondered how much it would actually cost the state to administer the program.
