Video: Bills to Drug Test Welfare Applicants
Up for Debate
Updated, Wednesday, 2:25PM
AUSTIN, TX – After little debate, the Texas Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously to pass a bill that requires applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to pass a drug test to receive benefits.
“This bill makes sure state resources are not used to support drug habits, while ensuring children continue receiving benefits in a safe environment,” said Sen. Jane Nelson, the author of Senate Bill 11, which now goes to the House.
The protective payee provision that was included in SB 11 drew praise among some members in the upper chamber. It provides for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to designate another person to receive TANF benefits on a child’s behalf if the child’s parent tests positive for drugs.
Nelson told her colleagues that the provision is the reason the bill passed unanimously out of committee, with bipartisan support.
(Texas Tribune)
Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, expressed concern that the bill creates a “three strikes, you’re out” model. The first time a person tests positive for drugs, he or she is ineligible for financial assistance for six months; the second positive test triggers a 12-month penalty; the third positive result deems the applicant permanently ineligible for TANF benefits.
Nelson reassured Lucio and Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, that applicants get “plenty of opportunities” to get help. SB 11 allows for applicants who test positive for drugs the second time to reapply for benefits after six months if they have enrolled in or completed a drug treatment program. She highlights that the base bill includes $300 million to increase the availability of such programs for low income Texans.
In the House, state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, has filed House Bill 1583, which would applicants for unemployment benefits to submit to a drug test. It was set to be heard in committee Wednesday afternoon. Her staff confirms she has withdrawn that bill. A similar measure, HB 1281, filed by Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, was heard in committee Wednesday.
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