The Florida Senate approved Thursday a measure that will require all recipients of the state program Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to pass a
“„Mandatory drug testing for parents applying for or receiving assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program has been proposed repeatedly over the past few years. Legislators in at least 27 states have proposed suspicionless drug testing with some even extending it to recipients of other public benefits as well, such as unemployment insurance, medical assistance and food assistance. At the federal level, Senator David Vitter (R?LA) has offered bills and amendments multiple times to impose mandatory drug testing on TANF recipients and deny them eligibility if they failed a second test after treatment. The most recent is The Drug Free Families Act of 2011 (S 83). Last summer, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) proposed mandatory drug testing for TANF and unemployment insurance recipients.
“„Proposals for mandatory drug testing of TANF recipients are based on stereotypes and not evidence. Proponents often claim that drug testing will save money; however, this is based on a false assumption that many applicants will be denied benefits. Random testing is a costly, flawed and inefficient way of identifying recipients in need of treatment. Better alternatives exist and are already being implemented to address drug abuse among TANF beneficiaries and ultimately reduce their barriers to work. Moreover, universal random drug testing may well be unconstitutional.