House And Senate Took Aim At Struggling Michiganders On Wednesday, Passing Bills That Require Drug Tests

[+Malamute]

Both the House and Senate took aim at struggling Michiganders on Wednesday, passing bills that require drug tests and community service for people receiving government assistance. / Jessica J. Trevino/Detroit Free Press

 

LANSING — Bills that would deny unemployment benefits to people who refuse to take drug tests required by employers and that would mandate community service for people receiving public assistance were approved in the state Senate and a House committee Wednesday.

The drug-testing bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee on a 12-4 vote with three Democrats passing on the issue, would deny unemployment benefits for people who either refused to take a drug test required by an employer or tested positive.

The community service bill, which passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote, would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to participate in community service or other work-related activities in order to be eligible for the assistance.

Republicans called the bills common sense.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with requiring folks to have a little skin in the game,” said Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township. “All they have to do is a little community service to get their benefits.”

But Democrats said the GOP was targeting low-income people for political purposes leading into the 2014 election season, as Republicans continued to push bills that the party’s conservative base would support.

The bills continue a trend that began earlier this year with proposed legislation that targets public assistance recipients for suspicion-based drug testing, and a proposal that allows benefits to be denied if a child is truant from school. Those bills have passed the House and await action in the Senate.

“Wholesale drug testing without suspicion is simply illegal,” said Shelli Weisberg, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan. “If we’re going down the road of drug testing for people who receive benefits, then we better start drug testing legislators.”

State Rep. Jon Switalski, D-Warren, offered an amendment to the drug-testing bill that would do that, but it failed.

“If the majority feels that drug testing for people on the public dole is good policy, then it’s clearly in the interest of good public policy to test all of us on the public dole,” he said. “But this is a bill about the elections in 2014 and nothing else.”

Anti-tax activist Bill McMaster noted that the bills don’t take into account Michigan’s support in a 2008 ballot initiative for the use of medical marijuana.

“It’s somewhat mysterious to me that you’re trying to eliminate the will of the people on the medical marijuana front,” he said. “A good number of people are employed successfully who are using medical marijuana.”

Sen. Vincent Gregory, D-Southfield, said it didn’t make sense to make someone — such as a single mother, for example — have to pay child care costs because of state-required community service. He offered an amendment — which ultimately failed — that would require the Department of Human Services to pick up child care costs while parents performed community service.

“We need to give residents a helping hand and not force them to do other things to get assistance from the state,” he said.

The drug-testing bill (HB 4952) now moves to the full House. The community service bill (SB276) moves to the House for consideration.

 

[+Malamute]

And always remember,... drug testing is about going after marijuana users,... not other drug users.  You can snort an eight ball on Friday, eat 10 oxycontins, shoot a load of heroin  and still pass a drug test on Tuesday.

 

This is about marijuana users who get stuck for 20-30 days of in system detection.

 

 They rarely catch crackheads,... they always catch cannabis users(unless fake urine etc).

[t-pain]

oh bunny muffin!

 

 

The community service bill, which passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote, would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to participate in community service or other work-related activities in order to be eligible for the assistance.

 

the workhouses are back!

forcing the poor to work! awesome. its like we're back in the 1800s.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workhouse

[Chauncy Gardner]

I can't believe that the Conservatives are still pushing for this crap. It was tried in Florida and the program ended up costing more than what they saved in welfare benefits. Less than 2 % of welfare recipients tested positive - about 1/2 of what the general population tests.

 

And for sure that if they are testing one group they should be testing all recipients of government money - legislators, contractors, Social Security recipients - in short, EVERYBODY!

[greenbuddha]

Looks like 'we' didn't do enough in the last elections.

[greenbuddha]

I can't believe that the Conservatives are still pushing for this crap. It was tried in Florida and the program ended up costing more than what they saved in welfare benefits. Less than 2 % of welfare recipients tested positive - about 1/2 of what the general population tests.

 

And for sure that if they are testing one group they should be testing all recipients of government money - legislators, contractors, Social Security recipients - in short, EVERYBODY!

Absolutely!!!!

[Kingdiamond]

You can bet some of these conservatives have connections to the drug testing corporations sticking it to the poor and making a buck under the table the  Republican  way .

[TheHarvester]

I agree with King, it's a revenue stream for the testing companies.

[cristinew]

The community service bill, which passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote, would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to participate in community service or other work-related activities in order to be eligible for the assistance.

 

What about people on disability that cant work , Now do they lose ther food stamps. because they cant work,?

[bobandtorey]

 community service would be easy to do for most that can't work i do my best i help patients would that work?   i think it would i heard a judge one day tell someone she had to do X amount  of hours of community service after she got convicted by a jury and the Judge said  by helping a medical marihuana Patient even after she was convicted of doing just that

[bobandtorey]

 

Both the House and Senate took aim at struggling Michiganders on Wednesday, passing bills that require drug tests and community service for people receiving government assistance. / Jessica J. Trevino/Detroit Free Press

 

LANSING — Bills that would deny unemployment benefits to people who refuse to take drug tests required by employers and that would mandate community service for people receiving public assistance were approved in the state Senate and a House committee Wednesday.

 

The drug-testing bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee on a 12-4 vote with three Democrats passing on the issue, would deny unemployment benefits for people who either refused to take a drug test required by an employer or tested positive.

 

The community service bill, which passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote, would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to participate in community service or other work-related activities in order to be eligible for the assistance.

 

Republicans called the bills common sense.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with requiring folks to have a little skin in the game,” said Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township. “All they have to do is a little community service to get their benefits.”

 

But Democrats said the GOP was targeting low-income people for political purposes leading into the 2014 election season, as Republicans continued to push bills that the party’s conservative base would support.

 

The bills continue a trend that began earlier this year with proposed legislation that targets public assistance recipients for suspicion-based drug testing, and a proposal that allows benefits to be denied if a child is truant from school. Those bills have passed the House and await action in the Senate.

 

“Wholesale drug testing without suspicion is simply illegal,” said Shelli Weisberg, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan. “If we’re going down the road of drug testing for people who receive benefits, then we better start drug testing legislators.”

 

State Rep. Jon Switalski, D-Warren, offered an amendment to the drug-testing bill that would do that, but it failed.

“If the majority feels that drug testing for people on the public dole is good policy, then it’s clearly in the interest of good public policy to test all of us on the public dole,” he said. “But this is a bill about the elections in 2014 and nothing else.”

 

Anti-tax activist Bill McMaster noted that the bills don’t take into account Michigan’s support in a 2008 ballot initiative for the use of medical marijuana.

“It’s somewhat mysterious to me that you’re trying to eliminate the will of the people on the medical marijuana front,” he said. “A good number of people are employed successfully who are using medical marijuana.”

 

Sen. Vincent Gregory, D-Southfield, said it didn’t make sense to make someone — such as a single mother, for example — have to pay child care costs because of state-required community service. He offered an amendment — which ultimately failed — that would require the Department of Human Services to pick up child care costs while parents performed community service.

 

“We need to give residents a helping hand and not force them to do other things to get assistance from the state,” he said.

The drug-testing bill (HB 4952) now moves to the full House. The community service bill (SB276) moves to the House for consideration.

The ACLU will be all over this if it was to pass i don't think it will 

[t-pain]

'community service' in livonia means shovelling ice off the bridges' sidewalks, in the winter.

shovels are provided. seen them work crews out in the cold, trying to shovel ice with plastic shovels.

it was not pretty.

 

doesnt look that easy to me.

 

they found a loophole to the drugtest all of the poor, its have the employers drugtest all of the poor!

brilliant!

[bobandtorey]

If you are disabled they can't make you do hard work like you say

[Beans]

Next up !

Drug test to vote

[Wild Bill]

What about people on disability that cant work

 

 

[imiubu]

[greenbuddha]

Next up !

Drug test to vote

 

 

Unfortunately, Beans, you may be closer to the truth than you think!

[Wild Bill]

 

[GregS]

What say we start a pool, and the winner(s) will be those closest to the day the courts find it unconstitutional?

[Celliach]

Blessed are the meek, and they're a bunch of losers too.

[t-pain]

What say we start a pool, and the winner(s) will be those closest to the day the courts find it unconstitutional?

 

142 days.

[GregS]

142 days.

What date?

[t-pain]

142 days after it is enacted into law.

 

the question is business days or consecutive days

Edited September 19, 2013 by t-pain

[Wild Bill]

 

The community service bill, which passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote, would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to participate in community service or other work-related activities in order to be eligible for the assistance.

 

Hey! This will help them replace the community service slave labor they'll lose when cannabis is legalized.

 

I guess they're thinking ahead after all!

[c2288420]

Part of Kansas's law that was effective 7/1/2013 :

 

"Calling drug addiction a "scourge in Kansas," Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law Tuesday a bill to test welfare and unemployment recipients suspected of using illegal drugs.

 

Senate Bill 149, effective July 1, also bans anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from getting welfare for five years. Those convicted a second time lose benefits for life."

 

http://www.governing.com/news/state/mct-kansas-to-drug-test-welfare-recipients.html?utm_source=related&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=mct-kansas-to-drug-test-welfare-recipients

 

Some groups were unable to change law at the federal level, however they are having no problems at the state level.

 

One day,

C