Michigan Senate Republicans Scapegoat Poor With Welfare Drug Test Bill

In one of its last acts of the legislative session, the Michigan Senate passed a bill mandating drug testing for selected welfare applicants and recipients. It was a straight party-line vote.

The bill, Senate Bill 275, is similar to a measure passed earlier this year by the House. It would require the state Department of Human Services to create a drug screening and drug testing pilot project in three counties. People who are determined to be at risk of drug use would be required to take a drug test. If they failed, they would be referred to a drug treatment program. A second failed drug test would result in the loss of benefits.

Senate Republicans originally wrote the bill so that children whose parents were cut off because of a failed drug test would lose their benefits as well. Because they care so much about the kids, I suppose. Democrats managed to get an amendment passed that would allow a third party to receive the benefits for the children.

The Republican-dominated legislature earlier this year passed a bill, signed into law by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, allowing the state to cut off unemployment benefits for anyone who fails a drug test required by a prospective employer.

I'll write a straight news article about this later today. But I'll take a moment now to note that this kind of cheapjack, poor-bashing legislation is almost entirely the exclusive domain of the Republican Party.