House Bill Would Allow Drug Testing For Food Stamps

[Purveyor]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Feb 11, 6:26 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A key House Republican is renewing a GOP push to allow drug tests for low-income food stamp recipients, a move to help states like Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker has sued the federal government to permit screening.

Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt unveiled the measure on Thursday as Republicans look to find savings in the program. Aderholt says that states could choose whether they wanted to allow drug testing, so the legislation wouldn't be a mandate. He says it's common sense to create drug programs for those who need help.

"This is a compassionate way to try and help these people who have issues, instead of turning the head," said Aderholt, chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees spending for the Agriculture Department, which administers the food stamp program.

The bill is designed to aid states like Wisconsin, where former GOP presidential candidate Walker has sought to require food stamp recipients to undergo drug screening. Walker's administration filed suit against the Agriculture Department, which has said federal law bars the practice.

MORE...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_FOOD_STAMPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-11-18-26-37

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_FOOD_STAMPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-11-18-26-37

[angstlessk]

1. I say to expand it to ANYONE who receives government money

INCLUDING both houses of congress

[GoneFishin]

12. Including all executives of defense contractors. What could be more reasonable than to insist

that the people manufacturing life or death military gear prove that they are not high.

[angstlessk]

13. I totally agree...EVERYONE who receives government funds,,,get tested

the same as section 8 folks!

[GoneFishin]

16. A bit off the subject I would really like to see all cops drug tested including for illegal steroids

[angstlessk]

17. They are on a government payroll

Test them for all ...but you are right (correct) test for steroids

[CountAllVotes]

21. and doctors too!!

Be sure to add them to the list of criminals!

[dchill]

28. AND government BAILOUTS!

[longship]

2. Rubbish! It does not work.

Statistically the false positives will overwhelm the false negatives.

Statistics 101!!!!

Ignorant lawmakers!

[PatrynXX]

11. wouldn't work on me

let alone anyone with any knowledge of muffins would know to irritate the test by having a lemon poppy seed muffin will muck it up.

wouldn't work on me because I take Ritalin. a Narcotic . legal drug to me but waste of time for anyone else. Hey I donate my blood why don't you ask them.

[Downwinder]

3. How about substance testing for a pay check?

[Wilms]

4. They did that in Florida.

I think they stopped. Cost waaaay more than they were saving by denying people.

[Orrex]

8. And typically they find one or two offenders among the countless victims tested

It's nothing but a way to funnel government money to a private testing firm, typically one with strong connections to the bill's biggest proponents.

[angstlessk]

14. I bet if they tested the congress it would be way more!

[titaniumsalute]

23. It was something like less than 1% tested positive

Yes the cost FAR outweighed whatever few bucks were saved taking these drug users off the public money. AND Rick Scott's wife has a piece of the company that owns the drug testing facilities. That's nice!

[ohnoyoudidnt]

5. "This is a compassionate way to try and help these people who have issues...."

Sometimes I wonder how many people seriously believe the shit they say. The compassionate thing would be to stop throwing people in jail for possession and provide free treatment for anyone who wants it, not screwing with the food stamp program.

[Matthew28]

6. Doing drugs should be a choice

Republicans seem to love to bitch about small government but then want to throw most of the population onto the street or the prison. Hypocrites.

[LibDemAlways]

7. Compassionate my ass. Repukes

will stop at nothing to humiliate those needing help paying for food. The idea that this Congress would set up programs to help those with substance abuse issues is completely absurd and about as likely as Donald Trump giving away his vast sums of wealth and becoming a missionary in a third world country.

[silvershadow]

9. I thought they were all about getting government out of people's lives. nt

[hollowdweller]

10. Here's why this is stupid

You can make way more money selling pills and weed in most states than you can get in food stamps.

In my state many jobs that are min or low wage go empty because people would rather be able to get high and either work under the table or at jobs that don't require a drug test.

Most aren't hard core drug addicts but face it, if you are poor and especially live in a rural area what else is there to do for fun that you can afford??

I've known tons of people who passed up jobs because they wouldn't be able to smoke pot. On the other hand I've known some of those same people, who started working for the railroad, or in the mines, or got in a good union construction job and quit smoking pot because they didn't want to lose the job.

So what I am saying is in my experience people don't want to give up their recreation if it's not worth it. For a most people they'd just do without the food stamps.

[Lyric]

15. Why take food stamps away from innocent children

just because Mommy or Daddy tested positive for a drug?

How does that make any sense?

[awoke_in_2003]

33. It doesn't make sense

They are just cruel, vicious bastards.

[Sam_Fields]

18. Yawn. This is going nowhere with a filibuster proof Senate.

[Skittles]

19. CAN WE DRUG TEST THE PEOPLE WHO START WARS AND CRASH THE ECONOMY

*PLEASE*

[CountAllVotes]

20. +1,000 !!!

Yeah and leave sick people alone that are using such MEDICATIONS legally!

Thank you btw!!

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

30. Forget the testing. We need to outright drug them into submission.

[Timishini]

22. This bill

Won't go anywhere.

[cynzke]

24. LOONY!

SOOOOOO, the idea is to weed out drug abusers who shouldn't get food stamps. We are to believe that the GOP REALLY wants to find these poor people to help them? That would mean SPENDING MONEY to help them and we all know how much the GOP loves to spend money on POOR PEOPLE. And what usually happens to drug abusers....they end up in jail. And jail is far more costly than paying out food stamps. So gee whiz, we stopped some sleazy drug abuser from getting a piddly food stamp payout and now paying out thousands of dollars more on incarcerating the undeserving food stamp recipient. Make no sense to me.

[cynzke]

25. Just Two Days Ago...

it was published that in Kentucky after two years testing food stamp recipients, they fail to turn up any measurable evidence of drug abuse by these poor people. This is political bull shit, with no basis in reality.

[dembotoz]

29. legislation by urban legend...no wonder we are so fucked

[BeyondGeography]

26. Just getting their mean ole rocks off again

Fuck these assholes.

[2pooped2pop]

27. Why don't they just come out and say it - line up the poor and shoot them.

If you aren't part of the club, the only use for you is to fight their wars or fill their prisons. And if anyone thinks they are actually part of the club- you aren't. Death nor slavery is their plan for all of us.

[warrprayer]

31. Shhh!

Don't let the proles hear!

[2pooped2pop]

32. Lol

That's at least 84% correct

Or nineteen hundred and eighty four % anyway