Pubdate: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2012 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Olympia Meola Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) VOTERS BACK DRUG TESTING OF WELFARE RECIPIENTS, POLL SAYS More than 75 percent of Virginians think welfare recipients should be required to pass a drug test to receive benefits, according to a poll released Thursday. Overall, voters support testing for public assistance by 76 percent to 21 percent with strong support across race, gender, party, income, religious and age groups. A measure to require the testing was carried over to 2013 by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday to give lawmakers more time to study the potential costs. A fiscal impact analysis attached to the bill introduced in the House of Delegates estimated the cost of drug screening some recipients at $1.3 million in the first year and $1 million annually after that. According to the Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, Virginia voters also back repealing a requirement for girls to receive an HPV vaccine before they enter sixth grade and support allowing public schools to open before Labor Day. An effort to dump the requirement that public school divisions obtain a waiver from the Virginia Board of Education to begin school prior to the Labor Day holiday has passed the House of Delegates and has the support of Gov. Bob McDonnell. But a Senate panel defeated similar legislation. The state's tourism industry objects to the measure. On changes to the way public school teachers are given contracts, voters said 49-41 percent that it's a good idea to make firing public school teachers easier, according to the poll. McDonnell is behind legislation that would essentially phase out the continuing contract process in place of three-year term contracts that do not automatically renew. The state's teachers association opposes the measure in part because teachers operating under the new term contracts would not have a grievance procedure, they say. Sixty-four percent of Republicans polled backed the idea while 61 percent of Democrats polled opposed it. Voters support allowing hunting on private land in Virginia on Sundays 48-40 percent, according to the poll. Late Thursday the GOP-controlled Senate Finance Committee approved its version of the welfare drug-testing legislation, Senate Bill 6, on a 9-6 party line vote. But the committee did not attach a budget amendment to provide the more than $1 million in financing to implement the program, jeopardizing its chances. House Bill 73, sponsored by Del. Richard P. "Dickie" Bell, R-Staunton, would require local social services agencies to screen people receiving Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW) benefits to find if there's reason to believe the person is using illegal substances. If so, a formal evaluation would be made that could include a drug test. Anyone who tests positive or refuses to participate "without good cause" could not receive payments without entering a drug-treatment program. The person would have an opportunity to reapply for benefits. Opponents of the measure have said it singles out the poor and raises constitutional questions. They've argued that other recipients of taxpayer funding do not face a similar requirement. The state legislature gets an approval rating of 47 percent in this latest poll, while McDonnell's approval rating sits at 58 percent, up 1 percentage point from the last Quinnipiac survey, in December. Other statewide officials also have positive job approval ratings, with 64 percent for U.S Sen. Mark R. Warner; 52 percent for U.S. Sen. Jim Webb; 38 percent for Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling; 46 percent for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,544 registered voters Feb. 1-6. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom