McKillip to sponsor drug test for benefits bill

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Monday, January 23. 2012

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Rep. Doug McKillip of Athens announced late last week that he was sponsoring legislation that would require applicants for government benefits to pass a drug test in order to receive those benefits.

“If a job applicant has to take a random drug test, it only seems fair that a welfare applicant should too,” he stated in a press release.

McKillip is a co-sponsor of three House bills – 697, 698 and 699 – that all require drug testing of applicants for public assistance.

“We simply cannot allow the drug trade to be funded with government benefits,” he added.

Similar legislation has reduced by half the applications for public assistance in Florida, he said.

Under the Georgia legislation McKillip is sponsoring, a child could not be denied benefits because of his parent’s failed drug test. The bills also provide an opportunity for the applicant to apply again after a waiting period.

McKillip said he would work to add to the legislation a provision to direct any savings to tax cuts on energy used in manufacturing in order to encourage more employers to locate in Georgia.

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#1 drugtesting REALLY on 01/23/12 at 08:47 AM [Reply]

what is this guy talking about two thing first Florida does not drug test anymore, second 96 percent of test subjects passed. third is was costing 40,000 more a month then any savings.

#2 J.B. Moore on 01/23/12 at 10:32 AM [Reply]

It would be hard to project any savings but I would support this bill. If anyone here has doubts to effectiveness then call your local detention center and ask how many people come into jail with their WIC,SNAP, EBT, or whatever and they are charged with drug offenses. If you can afford drugs you can afford food. To the people who say oh what about their children, they won't get to eat. We don't feed them anyway, the food stamps get traded for dope. If this is to be effective though they should stop anyone who is found in possession of drugs or arrested from receiving these benefits. And to the above, Florida had to stop because they have legal drug dealers called " pain management". They will have to be creative in writing this bill to deal with the new epidemic of prescription narcotic abuse. And please post a defense about how receiving 120 hydrocodone a month for 8 months for allergies is legitimate and that is pain management.

#3 Odins Eye on 01/23/12 at 11:13 AM [Reply]

Any person receiving a dollar from the taxpayers should be required by law to take a drug screen.
That includes those who represent the people in government; senators, congress, local and state reps and all employees.
I have to take drug sreens for employment, these folks can take a drug screen to receive tax dollar salaries and foodstanmp support.

-Woton

The war on drugs

#3.1 Lots and Lots on 01/24/12 at 10:53 AM [Reply]

That would probably be close to 1/2 the population. Some of which would be government employees at all levels, teachers, doctors, military, social security, medicare, tax credit recipients (child & earned income are over 50% of tax filers), student loans, many home loans, etc.
We probably wouldn't be able to test foreign aid recipients.
Go for it. We may be able to cut government employment drastically.

#3.1.1 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 01:44 PM [Reply]

Only about 15% of the population (nationally) is employed in government: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_201.htm

And it's probably much lower considering all the cuts in government employment since 2008.

#3.1.1.1 nopostal no state no county no cityworkers included no TSA on 01/24/12 at 02:01 PM [Reply]

wrong!! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.8 million civilians work for the Federal Government, excluding the Post Office.and Military support. Below is a link to the relevant BLS website, lots of good information.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_work_in_the_US_Federal_Government#ixzz1kPKo9vpp

#3.1.1.1.1 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 02:12 PM [Reply]

1.8 million is 1.1% of the workforce.

#3.1.1.1.1.1 wrong on 01/24/12 at 02:51 PM [Reply]

since there are 300milion total including the retired aged and under aged you are wrong, this is also only only full time executive branch not military not homeland security not FAA not borfer patrol not Army which is just under 500k full time Marines just aaround 250k not including navy coast gaurd air force all the other support for these and base persons no postal employees covered this is just the one branch the smaleest branch by the way

#3.1.1.1.1.1.1 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 02:57 PM [Reply]

Maybe this will help: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=United+States+government+workforce&lk=1

Private insutries: 83%, 109.9 million
Government: 17%, 21,97 million
Total: 121.9 million

I always recommend WA for things like this since it puts the data in easy to absorb form while still providing citations.

#3.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 02:59 PM [Reply]

I meant 131.9 million for the total.

#3.1.1.1.1.1.1.2 once more on 01/24/12 at 03:07 PM [Reply]

this is not includint TSa post office and support jobs for Goverment under Goverment contracts where the workers and companies get Govt beneifits

#3.1.1.1.1.2 here you go now start over on 01/24/12 at 02:55 PM [Reply]

145 million employed and 9 million unemployed making up a labor force of 154 million persons

#3.1.2 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 01:46 PM [Reply]

Would you guess that I read what you posted twice and still managed to misread it? I thought you said half the country was employed by government. Which wasn't an unreasonable misreading considering all the anti-government sentiment around here. :)

#3.2 Lots and Lots on 01/24/12 at 10:59 AM [Reply]

Don't forget the school lunch kids and farmers.

#4 Fortitude on 01/23/12 at 12:29 PM [Reply]

Good. I hope this wakes the "entitled" people up and they should pay for the drug test. Being on state/fed programs should not be easy, nor should it be something that someone should want to be on, so I applaude someone who will make it harder for leeches so suck on the taxes of the working class.

#4.1 sorry on 01/23/12 at 12:35 PM [Reply]

but drug testing fails to work, truth be told the company doing the testing gets windfall like the one in Florida while few less then five percent come positive.
drug testing hair and urine fail with easy masking tricks sorry but is fails if person has time and idea the test will happen.

#4.1.1 Fortitude on 01/23/12 at 12:48 PM [Reply]

random drug test, marijuana is easy to deter, but stays in your hair for 30day's and cocaine is even longer. There needs to be something to deter them, I would even like to see them get dropped for any crimes committed at the residence or fraud, something has to be done, this is not an answer, but a step

#4.1.2 Alton on 01/24/12 at 11:51 AM [Reply]

Link exchange is nothing else but it is just placing the other person�s weblog link on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar in favor of you.

#5 sorry on 01/23/12 at 12:58 PM [Reply]

hair tests also fail, I know folks on probation using pass hair test all the time, they are not part time users they know there may be a test and pass with just little planning doesnt even cost five dollars to pass hair test and less then ten minutes

#6 J.B. Moore on 01/23/12 at 01:16 PM [Reply]

Just cutting from arrestees from certain crimes would create a huge cut. When an arrestee has their property inventoried by detention personal and they have their "ga peach " card and the arrest is drug or alcohol related then the card is submitted to the state just like a suspended license is. If they go for the drug test and have tobacco, benefits gone. If they fail, no appeal benefits gone. We have to be willing to be serious and fix this, and if we do you will see unemployment fall like a brick. This area needs reform and call and give Rep Mckillip praise for this move.

#7 Shane on 01/23/12 at 02:25 PM [Reply]

I think drug testing the people who are recieving government benefits is a great idea. I am working 3 jobs to take care of my family, while my wife works a full time job, takes care of our son and is taking night classes. I think if we can do this, that other people should not be able to sit in houses we are paying for and do drugs we are also paying for. We should all be outraged that this is happening and if Doug Mckillip is willing to do something about it we should all be behind him.

#8 ok on 01/23/12 at 02:26 PM [Reply]

and we should do spinala taps, also I hear some people here miss the Eugenics program from the fifties sixties seventies and eighties that sterilized persons deemed to not be productive, hmmm well wonder why we stopped Hitler and tried to stop Stalin? although even in Russia and Germany during Facist and communist run enforcement of laws people still commited immoral acts and even those in power commited immoral acts in the name or Morality

#9 Jerome on 01/23/12 at 06:29 PM [Reply]

I would whole heartedly support drug testing for candidates for public assistance. The current welfare system is rife with fraud and waste. A few days ago I was in line at a convenience store waiting to pay for my gas. There was a fellow in front of me with a whole arm load of typical convenience store junk food (chips, candy, cokes, etc.) as well as a case of beer. When he gets up to the counter he sets the junk food down and tells the guy behind the counter he wants two cartons of cigarettes. The guy then tells the clerk which lottery scratch-off tickets he wants. When the clerk starts to ring up the guy’s order he separates the junk food and says “I need to pay for this stuff with my EBT card”. The guy’s order for the beer, cigarettes, and lotto tickets was almost $90. The guy pulls a roll of bills out of his pocket and peels off a $100. He paid for the $20 worth of junk food with his EBT card. When I exit the store after paying for my gas I notice the guy standing next to a newer Honda with custom aftermarket wheels on it, talking on his cell phone and scratching his lotto tickets.

I’m sure those who work at grocery/convenience stores see this type of waste all the time. First off junk food shouldn’t be allowed with a food stamp card. It should be restricted to actual “food”, such as breads, meat, cheese, vegetables, dairy products, etc.

A solution would be to create stores within communities where those who have EBT cards can shop. Those would be the only places where EBT cards can be accepted. Those stores should only carry real food. With as many empty commercial buildings as there are around I believe this could be done fairly easily.

A side benefit could be the health benefits to those who buy food with EBT cards. Many of those relying on EBT cards for their primary source of food have weight issues and would not be able to buy junk food to contribute to their weight issue. The current system is broken and there are ways to help fix it.

#9.1 well on 01/23/12 at 06:53 PM [Reply]

probably someone was using others card, not thiers you can often buy benifits for fifty cents on the dollar, so the whole EBT instead of food stamps plan did not work, and other vendor and food purveyors do not have this retail and only non healthy fod thing that works,

Just like School milk program the cost spent for eight ounces of milk is more then the free market would pay, costing the taxpayers way more then not having a lunch program just paying the money to each family if they brown bagged instead of this failed Govt lunch breakfast and soon to be dinner program subsidizing all these food company to make big money off taxpayers backs l in the name of stopping common thiefs.
people here point to the guy taking pennies while they reach in your pocket and take your whole wallet!!!

#9.1.1 Jack Legg on 01/24/12 at 07:35 AM [Reply]

I am four square for this law, if those people are going to take government help then they should have to prove that they are worthy of such help.just breatheing does not make one worthy.While we are at it lets find a way to make voting a priviledge as well.

#10 Michael Robinson on 01/24/12 at 07:58 AM [Reply]

We should do the same for elected officials while we're at it. How can we ask people to submit to something like this if the people voting for it aren't held to the same standard?

#11 Sheesh on 01/24/12 at 11:01 AM [Reply]

Let's recap:

So far we want the poor to be tested for drugs, only be allowed to eat what whiskey drinking, cigarette smoking, mythology peddlers tell them to and of course, live in cardboard boxes as far away from the "good people" as possible. And you think "they" not the ready access to drugs are the problem.

These problems are real enough but these thinly disguised prejudices masquerading as policy do as much to stink up the place as the problems themselves.

#12 Anonymous on 01/24/12 at 12:07 PM [Reply]

well what would you do genius

#12.1 Sheesh on 01/24/12 at 12:53 PM [Reply]

My only advice would be to keep a proper perspective on what is really happening.

Our government has spent billions on it's war on drugs. Policies that punish the victims of the war are akin to drug testing a wounded vet before admitting him into a veterans hospital so you can save money on medical care.

Go after the ones attacking our population and remove the dollar sign from the place God intended for your heart when dealing with these wounded souls.

Just having a job does not make you anyone's judge. You are only a single pink slip away from living in the street.

#13 someonthe on 01/24/12 at 01:51 PM [Reply]

will be getting rich wonder who this Doug is been lining up for the contract?
my guess is first it doesnt work second you spend more money policing this then you would save but as long as some being stupid enough to use drugs get caught no price is too great to spend to stop them..... well look for the testing companies to line up!!! collect the money and even when tests do not give benifit they hoped to we the tax payer get the bill.

#14 Anonymous on 01/24/12 at 01:53 PM [Reply]

can you explain what you mean here? we have a real problem in this country with people living generationaly off of the government.These "poor" are not just down on their luck having lost their job in a bad economy. There are people who are literally bred,born, raised and die all on the governments dime and the government here in america is the people.Your post exemplifies that you are tired of people pointing this out and yet you have offered no solutions
"Go after the ones attacking our population and remove the dollar sign from the place God intended for your heart when dealing with these wounded souls."
Isnt this what we would be doing if we required people to live straight if they are getting help from the government? That way, after they've sobered up and realized the error in their ways they will go out and become productive citizens, or they will be hungry.

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McKillip to sponsor drug test for benefits bill

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