Pubdate: Sun, 15 May 2011 Source: Central Florida Future (U of Central Florida, FL Edu) Copyright: 2011 Central Florida Future Contact: http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/write-the-editor Website: http://www.centralfloridafuture.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3300 Author: Alyssa Feller, Guest Columnist DRUG TESTS WILL FIX WASTED WELFARE CASH There is a good chance that before you got your job, you were drug tested first. Now, heads of families who receive welfare will also be. Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign legislation that would make all welfare recipients pass a drug test before they get their check. The legislation, House Bill 353, has already passed the Florida Senate and House. While I believe that all needy families should get as much help as possible, it is also important that the heads of the families help themselves. Approximately 113,340 families in Florida currently receive welfare checks, according to a recent article in The Miami Herald. The term "welfare" actually refers to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which writes monthly checks to two types of families. One is for an adult whose income falls below the federal poverty level. The second type is written to family members on behalf of a child in their care. Each drug test typically costs $35, but those who pass the test will be reimbursed by having their benefits increased by the cost of the test. Parents who fail the first time will lose their benefits for a year. If they fail a second time, they will lose their benefits for three years. If a parent fails their test, they must designate another adult to receive benefits on behalf of their dependents. While it would be horrible to prevent needy children from getting money they could use, it would also be horrible for the government to pay adults who don't deserve money. The welfare program is meant to help children get the necessities they need, such as food, clothing and school supplies, not drugs. Anyone who knows a drug addict knows that they will do anything to get money for more drugs, such as lie, steal and cheat. If the government gives them money to spend on their children, they might not spend it properly. I think that drug testing welfare recipients will positively affect the welfare program and Florida in general. It shows the citizens of the state that drug addiction is something that is not supported and something that can ruin your life. The truth is that while welfare is a great program, one day it may be cut all together. Many federal and state programs have faced budget cuts, such as Planned Parenthood and Bright Futures. More and more families are struggling, and the number of people joining the program has been going up. It would help to weed out the individuals who are not being responsible and are not using the program appropriately. In fact, not many people will be affected by the new requirement. A pilot program started in the Jacksonville area between 1999 and 2001 found that of the nearly 8,800 welfare recipients in the area, only 335 failed the test, according to the Herald. As stated previously, even if a parent fails a drug test, their children still get the money through another responsible adult. Government programs are supported by tax payers and are supposed to help people who really need it. As a tax payer, I don't want my money to fund drugs for addicts. By drug testing welfare recipients, I think we can give money to people who need it and prevent tax money from being wasted. Hopefully, this will make people reconsider doing drugs and force them to realize the consequences of their actions. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.