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Michigan Senate Votes To End Jobless Checks For Drug Users


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US MI: State Senate Votes To End Jobless Checks For Drug Users

 

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URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n509/a09.html

Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

Votes: 0

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Oct 2013

Source: Morning Sun (Mt. Pleasant, MI)

Copyright: 2013 Associated Press

Contact: news@michigannewspapers.com

Website: http://www.themorningsun.com/

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3938

 

STATE SENATE VOTES TO END JOBLESS CHECKS FOR DRUG USERS

 

LANSING ( AP ) - Michigan job seekers who use illegal drugs would be denied unemployment benefits under legislation that moved forward in the state Legislature on Thursday.

 

The Republican-led Senate voted 28-10, almost entirely along party lines, to disqualify people from receiving jobless benefits if they fail a drug test required by a prospective employer or refuse to take the test without good cause.

 

Businesses would not have to notify the state when job applicants fail a drug test or decline to take it.  But if companies do pass along the information, applicants not hired because of a failed drug test would lose their checks and possibly have to pay back the state.

 

The proposed law introduced just six weeks ago would be on the books for one year, forcing lawmakers to renew it to keep the restrictions in place.

 

The legislation is expected to receive final approval from the House next week because it is tied to anti-unemployment fraud bills that must be enacted quickly to comply with federal law changes.  The GOP-led House approved an earlier version of the package last month.  Republican Gov.  Rick Snyder's office did not respond Thursday on whether he would sign it.

 

Critics called the drug-testing bill a solution in search of a problem and accused Republicans of demonizing certain people to score political points.

 

"If you were really interested in helping people gain employment, you wouldn't kick them and their family off of ( unemployment )," said Sen.  Coleman Young II, a Detroit Democrat.  "You would offer them drug treatment so they can lead a sober life."

 

But defenders of the legislation said employers who pay taxes to fund the unemployment trust fund should not have to give assistance to undeserving recipients.

 

"It's not politics to me," said Sen.  Mark Jansen, a Republican from Kent County's Gaines Township.  "The employer has the right to basically say, 'I don't have to pay them if they test positive to drugs.  I'm giving them a choice.  You want this job.  I want you for the job.  Don't forget if you don't pass a drug test you're not going to make it and by the way you're going to lose your unemployment.' The employee is ...  going to have to come to the realization that you shouldn't be doing drugs.  It's illegal.  I'm not sure what's wrong with that."

 

Roughly 112,000 Michigan residents are receiving unemployment insurance benefits.  The maximum benefit is $362 a week.  Recipients get 20 weeks of state benefits and up to another 27 weeks of lower federal benefits.

 

The Senate changed the bill slightly to further clarify that it would affect those who test positive for a controlled substance and lack a "valid, documented prescription" as defined in the public health code.  The legislation could leave legal medical marijuana users in limbo because they are "certified" to use the drug by doctors but not prescribed it under the law.

 

"Will the courts have to get involved? Probably," Jansen said.

 

He said he plans to revisit the unemployment fraud issue with followup bills to better tell people up front that they could lose their benefits and be forced to pay improper payments back.

 

Democrats said the legislation would not protect people who are mistakenly given unemployment benefits through no fault of their own and then asked to repay.  Opponents have said some states passed laws to mandate that businesses report drug users and make unemployment benefits off limits only to repeal them.

 

"If the policy were applied equally to all who receive public assistance it would be different," said Shelli Weisberg, lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.  "A corporation seeking a tax abatement or government subsidy should have their board and CEO subject to a drug test and the same consequences."

 

Two Democrats, Glenn Anderson of Westland and Tupac Hunter of Detroit, switched to join Republicans to approve the bill.

 

Another House-passed measure that would create a pilot program to do suspicion-based drug testing of welfare recipients has been sitting on the Senate floor since June. 

MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

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I wish they would be truthful in these things and just say cannabis users instead of drug.  I can do up an 8 ball of coke with a side of meth and a little heroin on Friday and be clean by Monday.  But if I smoke a joint I could test positive for a month afterwards.  

 

P.S. Go go Republicans, you are all such nice people.

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I wish they would be truthful in these things and just say cannabis users instead of drug.  I can do up an 8 ball of coke with a side of meth and a little heroin on Friday and be clean by Monday.  But if I smoke a joint I could test positive for a month afterwards.  

 

P.S. Go go Republicans, you are all such nice people.

 

Yep... We all know who their directing it at.

 

Much of the money the state uses for unemployment comes through the federal government, so they know they (the pols) can enforce their actions by saying it (drug use / cannabis use) is against 'federal law' and so on.

 

The pols in Lansing are not going to give up until WE 'legalize' cannabis for general use and they have no other choice but to accept the will of the voters with a 'legalized use' law that places the fewest restrictions on that use that we can possibly put into the new law.

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they finally found the loophole.

the govt cant drug test everyone. so lets just let the employers drug test everyone.

heres got to be a third step tho.

 

currently its 

1. make penalties for failing an employer drug test

2. ???

3. profit

 

2. has to be make law having all employees of welfare recipients do drug testing.

or 'to allow being listed in the welfare job seeking system, all employers must have suspicion based drug testing'

 

some kind of end-run around the law and courts.

seen it before, will see it again.

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I wish they would be truthful in these things and just say cannabis users instead of drug.  I can do up an 8 ball of coke with a side of meth and a little heroin on Friday and be clean by Monday.  But if I smoke a joint I could test positive for a month afterwards.  

 

P.S. Go go Republicans, you are all such nice people.

 

I don't think they differentiate between drugs. Like the evil generic "drug dealers" who terrorize people on TV shows.

 

They don't think of "drug users" as people, they think of them as stereotypical menaces to society. Something they can easliy scrapegoat so they can tell the voters how hard they work fighting the drug problem.

 

I wonder how many of our Reps are loaded up on pharmaceuticals every day when they go to work. You often see news stories about government officials arrested for drunk driving.

 

But I guess they feel that's OK because they have prescriptions for their drugs and alcohol is legal. They just had "one too many" so we should look the other way.

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Full On Legalization is the only answer to these rethuglicans.

Only then will we be full class citizens...

Now we are but cancerous appendages which Must be cut off at all costs.

Sadly many people will lose their Earned benefit.

Guess what if the employer has no employees that come to work, how does he pay the taxes that fund the unemployment insurance agency?

This economy sure needs this huh?

So will the employer still have to pay unemployment insurance taxes?

Sounds like another easy to screw The People.

How about we make this country communist so that the Government owns all businesses.

Phukking commies, where is My freedom?

I sure hope these pigs choke on their Pills.

 

Legalization is the Only way out....

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"It's not politics to me," said Sen.  Mark Jansen, a Republican from Kent County's Gaines Township.  "The employer has the right to basically say, 'I don't have to pay them if they test positive to drugs.  I'm giving them a choice.  You want this job.  I want you for the job.  Don't forget if you don't pass a drug test you're not going to make it and by the way you're going to lose your unemployment.' The employee is ...  going to have to come to the realization that you shouldn't be doing drugs.  It's illegal.  I'm not sure what's wrong with that."

 

 

 

Mr. Jansen:  We the People pay your salary and benefits; we are your employer.  If you want us to pay you, you need to submit to regular drug testing.  You and every government-paid teacher, police officer, judge, legislator, mayor, CPS worker, building inspector, park ranger.........And just to make sure that We the People are ultra-safe, we need to have a breathalyzer installed in every public employee's vehicle.  Remember when Randy Colbry, Shiawassee County Prosecutor, got drunk and caused a car accident and then went back to work/collecting his government welfare check?  If we had installed a breathalyzer in his car, this accident never would have happened.  Did Randy lose his eligibility for government benefits?  This rampant abuse of the system must be stopped!!

 

Let's install pee-cup dispensers in the State Capitol to make it convenient for our lawmakers.

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Mr. Jansen:  We the People pay your salary and benefits; we are your employer.  If you want us to pay you, you need to submit to regular drug testing.  You and every government-paid teacher, police officer, judge, legislator, mayor, CPS worker, building inspector, park ranger.........And just to make sure that We the People are ultra-safe, we need to have a breathalyzer installed in every public employee's vehicle.  Remember when Randy Colbry, Shiawassee County Prosecutor, got drunk and caused a car accident and then went back to work/collecting his government welfare check?  If we had installed a breathalyzer in his car, this accident never would have happened.  Did Randy lose his eligibility for government benefits?  This rampant abuse of the system must be stopped!!

 

Let's install pee-cup dispensers in the State Capitol to make it convenient for our lawmakers.

 

Problem is, the 'foxes' are running the 'hen house'.

 

The pols write the laws and pass them, we the people have no real control on their pocketbook, once they are in office they write their own ticket to the gravy train.

 

Perhaps a voter initiative that puts limits on a pols healthcare (paid for by the STATE / TAX PAYER) their wages, and their retirement benefits.

 

No more gravy train rides and maybe only concerned people will run for political office.

 

And as Wild Bill and Highlander said, 'make all government employees take DRUG TESTS' (and politicians ARE government employees), just as they want everyone else to do.

 

Would put an end to a lot of this useless bull shite, AND save the taxpayer a ton of money.

 

AND the money saved could be put to more useful purposes that actually benefit the average taxpayer.

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Problem is, the 'foxes' are running the 'hen house'.

 

The pols write the laws and pass them, we the people have no real control on their pocketbook, once they are in office they write their own ticket to the gravy train.

 

Perhaps a voter initiative that puts limits on a pols healthcare (paid for by the STATE / TAX PAYER) their wages, and their retirement benefits.

 

No more gravy train rides and maybe only concerned people will run for political office.

 

And as Wild Bill and Highlander said, 'make all government employees take DRUG TESTS' (and politicians ARE government employees), just as they want everyone else to do.

 

Would put an end to a lot of this useless bull shite, AND save the taxpayer a ton of money.

 

AND the money saved could be put to more useful purposes that actually benefit the average taxpayer.

 

I second that proposal.

 

Bloomberg TV had a piece on last week about Congressional net worth. Net worth of the average US Congress member is 7.3 million dollars.

 

The highest on the list was Daryll Issa of California (Republican). He is worth more than $400 million. Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) is worth over 200 million. Apparently, being elected to high office is a ticket to the gravy train as most people who get elected become millionaires before leaving office. This is not party dependent either. Both Republicans and Democrats benefit.

 

We are getting the shaft and they are doing it so subtly that we aren't even aware of it. We have to get money out of politics if we stand any chance of getting our country back from the corporations. 

 

Corporations are the ones pushing for drug testing and, since the truth about cannabis has come out, it is an indefensible practice.

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Why does a kid working at McDs have to be drug tested when our own politicians should be the ones drug tested? WE are PAYING them. Why should it be any different? And I found out that most of the tinkle places that Judges send you to are owned by relatives of the Judge that makes you go!. The one on Van Dyke in Utica is owned by Judge Dennis LeDucs wife. 50 bucks a pop,for as many times as they want to do it. And if it looks TOO clean,they make you do it again...and PAY again. Boy,wouldn't you just LOVE that job? Watching people pee all day? And a State Union to protect you.

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I'm pretty sure I pay 100% of the unemployment benefits via my(our) contributions(required payments) if I was an employer. I am required to pay even if nobody is laid off, or has ever been. Unemployment benefits are an insurance policy provided by UIA, and not a federal issue, but a state one. This policy is funded ultimately by the employee by way of reduced income for the cost of carrying the policy in the first place, which is mandated(go figure) by MI.


 


Unemployment benefits are very different than welfare benefits, funded by all of us. I don't like drug testing for anyone not responsible for the public funds or safety or policy, maybe gun purchasing(?) and don't know the solution to  the issue of an employee not actively seeking other employment opportunities, because they cannot pass the all too often required drug testing.  fake tinkle is available, and has been for a long time. there is no excuse anymore. check the monkey system.


These wigs are notorious criminals, battery, theft, look for yourself. history and google show the that congress is full of wealthy trailer trash in disguise. Its disgusting we allow drunk old rich men to decide the fate of our destiny, and cannot even hold them responsible enough to tinkle in a cup for us, yet, us owly ditch diggers are required by our boss, which is required of him by his insurance company, no doubt profiteering all the way up to congress somehow. (puke)


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In all honesty, there Is zero difference between welfare and unemployment benefits.  It is merely a tax. Both have eligibility requirements and both are jointly paid by the State and Federal government.  I suppose it may make some feel better if we had a 'welfare tax' so people would feel it is an earned benefit. :-)

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In Michigan, employers pay a tax on the first $9,000 each employee makes.  The amount of tax they pay is an "experience rate" which is set each year based on claims for unemployment the employer has had against it.  And positive balance employer is an employer who has paid more into the system than they has been paid out in claims to former employees.  A negative balance employer is one for whom more has been paid in claims than the employer paid into the system.  An employer with a good experience rate probably is paying only around .06% tax on the first $9,000 an employee makes.  A negative balance employer could be paying 3% or more.

There is also a FUTA or Federal Unemployment Tax which employers pay, again based on payroll.  Its usually somewhere around .05%, with credit given for amounts paid into the state systems, and  the Federal Government uses that money to subsidize state systems. The basic unemployment insurance program is run by the states, although the U.S. Department of Labor oversees the system.  The basic program in most states provides up to 26 weeks of benefits to unemployed workers, replacing about half of their previous wages, on average.  States provide most of the funding and pay for the actual benefits provided to workers; the federal government pays only the administrative costs.  Although states are subject to a few federal requirements, they are generally able to set their own eligibility criteria and benefit levels.  The EUC is the federal emergency extended benefits program funded by the feds.

 

mi.gov=How is the federal unemployment benefit program funded?
The federal government funds the EUC program. Michigan employers are not charged for any EUC benefits paid to claimants.
 

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