Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kansas City Democrat opposes drug tests for welfare recipients


Rep. Michael Brown, D-Kansas City, stated his opposition to a bill that would require drug tests for welfare recipients in a news release issued today:


I am appalled that when resources are at an all time low there would be an attempt to pass legislation to cut Food Stamps.

Republican Representative Brandon’s HB1377 to cut food stamp recipients benefits by requiring drug testing leaves me no option but to voice my horror of the devastation this will have on families.

Eighty percent of the people living below the poverty line are children. These aren’t just individuals on drugs, they’re parents with children. When you take things away from the parent you’re hurting the children.

Why punish children for their parents’ mistake? The welfare system is already intrusive and adding drug testing to the system is just one more invasion into people’s lives—all they want is help.

This bill does not only cut food stamps but has a collateral effect by accelerating a family to becoming homeless. Will shelters turn away persons and their families if a parent tests positive for drugs when entering a shelter? If so, then where do they go?

The person tested will be responsible for the cost of the test. How will these people pay for the test?

Furthermore, there is cost associated with the bill. To administer the drug tests is estimated to cost $2.6 million in the first year.

Put all together, this bill is intrusive, expensive, hurtful and inhumane; leave it to House Republications to be mean during lean times!!

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The intrusive part of welfare is that it intrudes on my wallet. We should be able to "intrude" on people when we are giving our money to them.
We eliminate drugs from good work places. Let's eliminate them from these "good" homes.