Poor people who want welfare in West Virginia may soon be subject to drug testing.
The state legislature this week approved a measure that would screen welfare applicants for drug use and then require urine samples from anyone whose screening results raised suspicions. (This kind of screening process typically happens via a written questionnaire, although the West Virginia bill doesn’t specify the point.)
If Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) signs the bill into law, West Virginia will join 13 other states that have passed welfare drug testing bills in the past five years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“Our concentration has been more on helping people get the services they need if they’re addicted to drugs,” Tomblin said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “At the same time, we’ll just look at this bill when it comes down here.”
Statehouse drug testing proposals have gotten a lot less punitive since 2011, when federal courts invalidated a Florida law that required urine samples from all welfare applicants and allowed the state to deny them benefits if they failed. Similar to laws in other states, West Virginia’s proposal would only target people who meet a standard of “reasonable suspicion” and would only deny assistance if someone refuses to enroll in a treatment program after failing a test.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/west-virginia-welfare-drug-testing_us_56e18f68e4b0860f99d7f72f?
Tags: West Virginia, Drug Testing, Welfare Drug Testing, TANF
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