Proposed mandates requiring drug tests and "personal growth" activities for parents and others who apply for public assistance in Georgia ran into resistance Monday in the state Senate, although not enough to derail them.
The bills' sponsoring lawmakers made their pitch before a packed conference room, as the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony by more than a dozen people concerned about the cost of the mandates and how they would be implemented.
The drug-test mandate of Senate Bill 292 would be for anyone applying for Medicaid or for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. TANF provides temporary financial help to low-income families with children who cannot meet basic needs. The federal government gives grants to states to run the program. Medicaid is a federal-state program that provides medical care to low-income families.
Calling SB 292 a "good government bill," its sponsor, Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said it would save the state money and help addicts by identifying those who need assistance. Albers based the proposal on Florida's drug-testing law, which a federal judge has temporarily blocked, but said he felt he had properly addressed confidentiality concerns. The bill would make applicants pay for the tests, which Albers said used cotton swabs and cost between $13 and $17 each. If they tested positive, they would be banned from receiving benefits for a set amount of time, starting at one month for the first positive test.
"True compassion is doing what is best for people, not what is easy," Albers said.
"That's also why we have a Constitution," Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, shot back.
Neil Kaltenecker, executive director of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, testified that screening did not deter drug use, especially among people with addiction.
Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, sponsored Senate Bill 312, which would mandate "personal growth" activities for TANF parents as well as food stamp applicants. Ligon defined those activities as working toward a GED or high school diploma, receiving technical training, attending self-development classes or enrolling in adult literacy classes. He would pilot the program in five unnamed counties and exempt anyone who worked at least 30 hours a week.
Officials with the state Department of Human Services, however, said the program would add expenses as their budget faced state cuts and caseworkers were already overburdened.
No votes were taken on either bill. Several drug-testing bills related to public assistance also have been filed in the House.
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