...Mandatory Drug Testing Legislation Mandatory Drug Testing Legislation The subject of our debate is whether or not public assistance recipients should be required to pass a mandatory drug test as a qualifying standard. There are currently twenty seven states considering some type of legislation this year that would require anybody wishing to receive public assistance to pass a drug test in order to do so. While on the surface this type of policy seems to make sense in order to regulate where a state uses its funds, there are many who see this practice as unconstitutional. The controversy surrounding the legality of this proposed legislation centers around a U.S. Supreme court ruling that states that searches conducted without reasonable suspicion violated safeguards set forth by the 4th amendment. It categorized random drug testing as an unconstitutional search under this ruling except in cases where there is a “special need”. It is this “special need” classification that seems to be the sticking point for both sides of the debate. Those who favor the legislation say the fact they are applying for public assistance qualifies them to be legally tested for narcotics while the people that oppose it argue the opposite. Another point of controversy has been the overall cost effectiveness of the program in states where it is already in effect. In Florida currently two percent of all people tested as a requirement to receive public assistance have tested positive for drugs. The...
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...Should drug testing be mandatory to receive welfare? Americans face tough challenges in life, and some may have to apply for financial aid for federal or state funding through rough times such has lost of job or current job not providing enough money pay the bills. Those who do receive assistance, should they be drug tested? There are several Americans who will agree with the drug testing because they feel their tax dollars are being wasted on those who do not qualify for assistance. The welfare program is there to help those in need. The ones that are suffering due to lack of employment or lay off should be receiving the assistance. There are several families out there struggling but the parents are causing their struggle because of drugs. Many people decide that drugs are more important than their families because they are so addicted to the drug. If drug users can afford to pay for their drugs, than why can’t they also afford their own food? A person should put their own life and safety and as well as their family before they purchase any drugs. If they decide to buy drugs, than they are not in much need for TANF, food stamps, or any other federal or state assistance. If they take a drug test and fail the test, the state should have their own laws and take action for the safety of the family. This could mean more children in foster or shelters due to the parents lack of judgment of what is important. One in six Americans are relying on government anti-poverty programs...
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...Ways to fight against Welfare Fraud Joshua Eyler Eng/147 July 27, 2015 Elsie Walker Due to the overwhelming amount of welfare fraud that goes on across the United States, I’d like to share a few ways to help diminish this kind of fraud. Welfare fraud on any scale is wrong and something needs to be done about it being reduced. Some states have already put into affect mandatory drug testing, with other states to follow. This should help sift through the people who are breaking the law for one, and quite possibly committing fraud upon the welfare system. However, more could be done with random residential checks and cutting down the time they have to collect. Welfare fraud could be reduced by governing who is eligible for mandatory drug testing, home visits, and having shorter benefit collection periods. Mandatory drug testing should be implemented to be qualified for welfare assistance. There are just too many applicants who are under the influence of some kind of drug that they do not have a prescription for. (Pollack, n.d.) “Almost 20 percent of welfare recipients report recent use of some illicit drug during the year”. (para. 1) Drug testing would cut down on the applicants that use drugs on a daily basis, and also help eliminate a portion of the fraud. This is a route that all states should put into effect, and they should make penalties for those that break this rule. Another way to cut down on welfare fraud is to make unscheduled home visits. According...
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...Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? BCOM/275 Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? Thanks to our ancestors, America is a country built from a foundation of hard work and perseverance. This pioneering spirit has paved the way for many opportunities, as well as rules to be set along the way. This includes mandating laws and acts starting with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. With these guidelines America humbly started as a nation where every citizen was entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These laws stressed the simplest of privileges which included freedom of religion, freedom of speech, protection against enemies, and restriction against monopolies (America's Freedom Documents, 1996-2011). These were all expressions of the American mindset long ago. Fast forward to current America and we find problems we must confront now that are more complicated. These problems have evolved through history that has now made our present day precedence in relation to laws and rules. We now have the freedom to vote, be active in our government, and have an opinion. Our opinions are shaped by the physical world around us and the controversy we have created as a people. However, The United States as an ideal presents a uniquely contradictory set of principles that is generally not openly discussed. This includes the tendency to accept government officials, network...
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...A proposed law in several states that impacts the delivery of human services is requiring mandatory drug testing to be done for those who receive welfare from the government. States have proposed drug testing of applicants and recipients of public welfare benefits since federal welfare reform in 1996. It began to pick up speed in 2011. At least 18 states introduced proposals or had carryover bills that would require drug screening or testing for public assistance applicants and/or recipients in 2014.This has actually passed in some states, but it has been difficult for some to pass this. Unsurprisingly, there is an outrage by those who receive welfare. There are those that say that if you can be drug tested for a job, you should for welfare because you are still receiving money, like you would in a job. I think that the most reliable resource available to learn more about the implications of this law would be by reading the proposed legislation. Being aware of what is being done and said will highly help. Just standing on the sidelines and not actually acting is what can make the effects worse by doing nothing. Also, by having a meeting or some type of communication between the head of the organization and the senator that is proposing this legislation to help clarify any issues and even help to improve on the legislation that is being proposed. Other reliable resources could be other agencies that have dealt with similar laws in their areas, and how they coped with implementing...
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...Drug Testing Welfare Recipients: A Wise Choice Robert Denson ENG1420 Mr. A. Hewlett 10 February 2015 The national welfare system was created in 1935 to provide federal aid to the elderly, disabled and qualifying single mothers during the Great Depression (Costly, 2015). Public housing assistance, the Food Stamp Program and Medicare are examples of state programs available to assist families in need. Welfare, undoubtedly, is an essential source of assistance for many under privileged families. In recent years, some states have enacted drug testing for welfare recipients. This action has raised the question if it’s unfair search and seizure, other words, unconstitutional (Fourth Amendment to The United States Constitution, n.d.), or does it really discourage suspected drug abuse Many Americans agree there needs to be a reformation to the Welfare act and how the assistance should be utilized by its recipients. Opponents argue that the children will bear the brunt of the drug testing policy and it will cost more than it saves (Drug-Testing & The TANF Program, n.d.). The children depend on the adults to receive the benefits on their behalf, but when those benefits are being traded for drugs and/or cash to purchase drugs, there is no benefit. Discontinuing benefits to individuals who test positive for illegal substances would allow those funds to be returned to the state and federal budgets. In return, those unused funds will aid in balancing the state’s budget and...
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...Drug Testing: The Aid to Improving Our Welfare System By: Jennifer, Jacob, Kelsey, Mattie, and Devin Introduction Attention-getting remarks: Every single one of us in this class will one day have a job, and with that job we will be required to pay taxes. Have you ever thought about where the taxes we pay goes to and whether or not it’s going towards a helpful and productive cause? Thesis: Today we will break down the pros and cons of enforcing welfare recipients to be drug tested. Preview: Our group will inform you all about what welfare actually is, as well as reasons as to why some people believe it is a violation of their rights to be drug tested in order to receive welfare. More importantly, you will hear the opposing side of this issue, which is in favor of drug testing, along with reasons we believe it will benefit the welfare system. (First let’s get a better understanding of what welfare actually is.) Body I. Usually when one hears the word welfare, he thinks of public assistance. A. According to the welfare info website, welfare can also be characterized as a financial assistance to needy individuals, which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working society. (welfareinfo) 1. It also improves the quality of life and standards of living for the poor. II. Now that we all understand what welfare is, let’s look at the pros and cons of enforcing drug testing to receive this assistance. A. As said by Florida’s Governor Rick...
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...cons regarding drug testing people before they are able to receive welfare benefits. Some people think it is a violation of their rights, the testing is not fail proof, and the cost is usually greater than the benefit. Those who are in favor of drug testing believe it will benefit the welfare system, help the tax payers save money and also help the children of the parents if they are using drugs. Government leaders and most of the general public look at it from a financial point of view while people who receive benefits look at it from a constitutional point of view. The government court system and judges are not backing the drug testing idea because of the fourth amendment. In my personal opinion I am for people being drug tested who receive benefits or any assistance from government funded programs. The middle class worker has to be drug tested to work, earn money and pay taxes. People who receive assistance should not be exempt from this type of requirement. What is Welfare? Welfare is a public assistance program designed to help people who are not able to support themselves fully. Welfare encompasses those government programs that provide benefits and economic assistance to no or low income individuals. It can also be defined as financial assistance to impoverished individuals which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working class. Improving the quality of life and living standards for the poor and underprivileged is one of the main goals of welfare. When a person...
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...Cons Of Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients Norman Zeitunian BCOM/275 Business Communication October 30, 2012 Todd Keller Cons Of Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients There are many states that have attempted to introduce or have laws on their books for drug testing when individuals who are applying for state benefits. Some of the states are Kentucky, Florida, Virginia and Washington. The overall purpose of this testing is to better prepare individuals for employment purposes. Although that is a good sounding intention, there are many aspects that will be flawed and not viable. The most powerful argument against drug testing for welfare benefits stems from the constitutional standpoint. Organizations such as the ACLU have argued that the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from being searched without probable cause ( Bowler 2012). This issue is the main stopping point for creating this program in states’ is that there are many legal issues and will be challenges in the court systems. This leads to the costs related to dealing with the legal ramifications and potential lawsuits that are filed against states agencies that impose drug testing. Another point that was stated in the same letter was that mandatory drug testing was an "ineffective" and "fiscally irresponsible" way to deal with drug abuse. Instead of drug tests, which cost an average of $42 each not including the costs of running the program, the money would be better spent on training government workers...
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...Welfare Drug Testing Laws Gain Momentum [Editorial] 2012, April 1). Desert News As stated by Elizabeth Stuart in a recent article in the Desert News, Utah was he first state to pass the welfare drug testing law just recently in 2012, however twenty five other states are considering drug testing as part of the application process for receiving federal assistance. Mandatory drug testing has become extremely popular among tax payers and has also been supported by both Romney and Gingrich in the presidential debates. Both presidential candidates support the idea and view it as an excellent way to monitor drug use and lower public cost. While this drug testing is permitted by federal laws is faces much opposition, claiming it is unconstitutional to test without reasonable cause, arguing it is a violation of rights. However supporters of the drug testing argue that receiving benefits is a privilege not a right. Taxpayers feel anyone unwilling to submit to drug testing must have something to hide, even working citizens are often forced to take drug test to get a job, why should welfare recipients by any different. I support Stuart's findings and agree with the proposal of mandatory drug testing. Although the saving may be minimal, the overall benefits of removing drug users for the assistance program will be a positive change to the system, and an encouragement to tax payers. Taxpayers do not want to pay for illegal drug use and misuse of the system. Stuart has outstanding creditability...
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...seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? INTRODUCTION On August 22, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, also known as the Welfare Reform Bill, into effect ending welfare as it had been known for many years. “This law transformed the traditional entitlement to cash welfare under Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) into a transitional program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), which requires most recipients to work after two years of receiving assistance, or, at state option, even earlier, with few exceptions. After 60 months of receipt during a lifetime, a recipient is ineligible for federally-funded cash benefits (NPC, 2004)”. (1) The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act shifted the responsibility of the poor to the states. The Act also made allowance for states to perform drug testing of those who were in need of federal assistance. According to an article in the New York Times “Policy makers in three dozen states this year proposed drug testing for people receiving benefits like welfare, unemployment assistance, job training, food stamps and public housing (Sulzberger, 2011) .” The controversy rising from the proposed drug testing has many debating the question: Should people seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? PROs/CONs: There are several pros and cons to the new legislature to drug test those seeking government assistance. PROS: ...
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...Nakken Kaplan University CM220: College Composition ll Thousands of welfare investigators across the nation report that only about 2% - 3% of welfare cases involve fraud (Barron, 2012). That is such a small percentage. Could fraud on that small scale really be significant? After closer examination, the significance becomes much clearer. If 2% - 3% of welfare cases are fraudulent, that means between 785,000 to 1.2 million families are receiving welfare illegally (Barron, 2012). That ends up costing taxpayers between 9.0 – 13.5 billion dollars each year (Barron, 2012). That small percentage turns into a very large number of dollars spent annually on welfare recipients who should not be receiving these benefits (Barron, 2012). The welfare system in America today is once again in need of reform. Conditions such as mandatory drug testing, entry into an educational program, and strict time limits need to be placed on individuals who wish to receive welfare. In 2007 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported that 20% of families receiving welfare claimed to have used illegal drugs at least once in the last year, while 5% said they had an ongoing drug habit (Vitter, 2011). Some who oppose the random drug testing requirement say that it does nothing more than single out the poor and underprivileged. Deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Vanita Gupta claims “Mandatory drug testing of those receiving public benefits is just plain wrong. It demonizes and...
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...money to drug users collecting welfare. Numerous people can argue and say that our tax money should be use elsewhere instead of giving it away. First of all, California has the highest amount of welfare recipients in the United States. One of the reasons is high is because California has a population of over 39 million people. Secondly, California does not require a criminal background or drug test for people needing...
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...argued why welfare drug testing is not beneficial of our countries time and money. I discussed the reasons for why welfare drug testing shouldn't be allowed anymore. The reasons are its a tremendous cost and its being wasted with tax payers money, it is unconstitutional, and children should not have to be involved with their parents' addictions. I arranged my essay with different argument tactics to display my argument. I used many different examples to display my stance on the issue such as, its unethical, and its a waste of tax payers dollars. However I came up with solutions to solve this problem. One...
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...in my community and state is what to do about drug and alcohol use while collecting welfare and other state benefits. The money that is meant to get the parents back on their feet and provide for the children is being grossly misused. Many people who are collecting benefit checks, food stamps, and medical benefits are unable to pass a drug test so in essence are not able to work. They seem to be able to afford cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs but run short on bills, diapers and household goods. The dilemma is that on one hand it might be a violation of rights to ask people to be drug tested, but it’s no more intrusive than providing social security #’s, birthdates, and mother’s maiden named, or pay stubs. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, (2008) the 1996 Welfare Reform Act authorized - but did not require - states to impose mandatory drug testing as a prerequisite to receiving state welfare assistance. This is in part to the fact that some think that testing people for drug use is a violation of their civil rights. The big question is should people be allowed to collect benefits from the state if they are misusing the money for drugs? If the person cannot pass a drug test to get benefits they cannot pass one for a job. This means they have no intention of getting a job in the first place unless they are forced. If the people are not working they get lazier and more likely to produce more children. I would side on testing, because if the money is used for the purpose...
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