Florida Governor Rick Scott will likely sign into law today a new bill requiring all welfare recipients in Florida to pass a drug test before remaining eligible to receive the benefits. According to the new legislation, those who fail will be rendered ineligible for a period of 12 months. Rick Scott was quoted in the
Miami Herald as saying, ""It's fair to taxpayers," Scott said after the vote. "They're paying the bill. And they're often drug screened for their jobs. On top of that, it's good for families. It creates another reason why people will think again before using drugs, which as you know is just a significant issue in our state." (
source)
[Note: if you visit the link, it's interesting to scroll down and read the local reactions which raise many salient issues such as this one from Jonathan Swift (n.d.p.), "To qualify for this corporate tax break, is drug testing required? Do they have to pay for the test? The answer to both questions is, of course, no. Those who receive corporate welfare our held to a different standard---that is---no standard at all. They're wealthy, which somehow equates to being morally superior, apparently. Isn't class-warfare amusing to behold?..." (
source)]
What's so ironic is that this legislation is coming from a state of people who claim to be against government intervention into the likes of citizens and who want small government. I
Nonetheless, this is an interesting bill with some interesting stated 'good' intentions – the primary one of which is to help end the cycle of drug abuse among the poor. Will it work? Probably not. What it may do is increase the crime rates. Note, there is nothing in the bill to pay for drug rehab for people who test positive. Meanwhile, it's put children in the way of harm because positive testing parents may have no other means to support them. Rather is this yet another capricious attempt by right-wing conservatives to zing the poor masked in all the right intentions? It's an interesting mess that is unlikely to achieve it's goals. Interestingly enough, the aforementioned article states that very few Floridians on welfare have tested positive for drug use in previous trials in the state. More than likely, it sounds like the entity that stands to make out the best are the clinics who will be conducting all of the $35 drug tests.