Weekly opinion editorial
HAND UP, NOT A HAND OUT!
by Steve Fair
by Steve Fair
State Representative Guy Liebmann, (R-OKC), has announced plans to file a bill for the 2012 legislative session that would require drug testing of individuals in Oklahoma applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
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“Federal law already gives states the right to test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances and sanction those recipients who test positively,” Liebmann (R-Oklahoma City) said. “My legislation would just make it mandatory. It’s just a common-sense bill and one that is already being signed into law in other states.”
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“Federal law already gives states the right to test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances and sanction those recipients who test positively,” Liebmann (R-Oklahoma City) said. “My legislation would just make it mandatory. It’s just a common-sense bill and one that is already being signed into law in other states.”
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Liebmann’s bill is similar to one just signed into law in Florida. Last week, Missouri’s governor signed legislation requiring applicants and recipients of the welfare program be tested for drugs if there is reasonable cause to suspect illegal drug use. More than two dozen other states are considering similar legislation.
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Temporary Assistance for Need Families is a federal program begin back in July 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. According to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services website, TANF in the Sooner state is to be primarily a safety net for children. The site describes the program as: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federally-funded program for children deprived of support because of a parent’s death, incapacity, absence or unemployment. Cash assistance is available to the family on a time-limited basis through TANF. The purpose of this federal program is to provide temporary support in meeting basic needs, training leading to employment, employment services and childcare assistance for qualified families with children.
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In 2010, there were about 10,000 families and 5,000 single parents in Oklahoma on TANF. Monthly payments ranged from $10 up to $500 per month per child. Those onTANF are also eligible for food stamps and taxpayer funded health care.
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Is there a widespread problem with drug use among those on government assistance? It would seem so. According to a U.S. government study from 2000, 9.6 percent of people in families receiving some type of government assistance reported recent drug use, compared to 6.8 percent among people in families receiving no government assistance at all. A recent University of Michigan study found that almost 20 percent getting TANF payments reported recent use of some illicit drug.
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That is a significant percentage and no one using dope should expect taxpayers to fund their habit. Two questions need to be addressed on Lieberman’s proposal:
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First, what happens to the children if a parent doesn't pass a drug test and are not able to receive a government handout until they can prove they are drug-free? Liebmann said he would like to include a provision allowing parents who test positive for controlled substances to sign up a relative to serve as a protective payee to receive benefits for a dependent child. But if children are living in a home with drug abuse and parents who are not responsible enough to place the care of children above the desire to take meth or smoke a crack pipe; shouldn't they be removed from the dangerous situation? The question of what to do about the children will likely be seriously considered and debated as Liebmann’s bill move forward.
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Second, how much will this testing cost Oklahoma taxpayers each year? In Florida the annual tab will be $3.5 million dollars. TANF is a federal program so any money ‘saved’ by not going to a drug user will not be put back into state coffers to help offset the cost of testing. That means the feds save money, but it is highly unlikely they will help the state with the cost of testing. Oklahoma taxpayers will foot the bill to help combat fraud and the feds will redistribute the ‘saved’ money to other states.
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If Liebmann can find a way to help those kids who are in homes where dope is being used and a way to fund the program, this bill should sail through the legislature. Really why shouldn’t people wanting government assistance be drug tested before they get a dime of taxpayer funded assistance? Most employers now require new hires pass a drug test before employment. Many employers conduct ‘random’ drug tests to insure a safe working environment for their employees. The poor and downtrodden should be shown compassion during difficult economic times. But when they use taxpayer dollars to buy dope and alcohol that is not giving them a hand up, it’s giving them a hand out.
Liebmann’s bill is similar to one just signed into law in Florida. Last week, Missouri’s governor signed legislation requiring applicants and recipients of the welfare program be tested for drugs if there is reasonable cause to suspect illegal drug use. More than two dozen other states are considering similar legislation.
*****
Temporary Assistance for Need Families is a federal program begin back in July 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. According to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services website, TANF in the Sooner state is to be primarily a safety net for children. The site describes the program as: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federally-funded program for children deprived of support because of a parent’s death, incapacity, absence or unemployment. Cash assistance is available to the family on a time-limited basis through TANF. The purpose of this federal program is to provide temporary support in meeting basic needs, training leading to employment, employment services and childcare assistance for qualified families with children.
*****
In 2010, there were about 10,000 families and 5,000 single parents in Oklahoma on TANF. Monthly payments ranged from $10 up to $500 per month per child. Those onTANF are also eligible for food stamps and taxpayer funded health care.
*****
Is there a widespread problem with drug use among those on government assistance? It would seem so. According to a U.S. government study from 2000, 9.6 percent of people in families receiving some type of government assistance reported recent drug use, compared to 6.8 percent among people in families receiving no government assistance at all. A recent University of Michigan study found that almost 20 percent getting TANF payments reported recent use of some illicit drug.
*****
That is a significant percentage and no one using dope should expect taxpayers to fund their habit. Two questions need to be addressed on Lieberman’s proposal:
*****
First, what happens to the children if a parent doesn't pass a drug test and are not able to receive a government handout until they can prove they are drug-free? Liebmann said he would like to include a provision allowing parents who test positive for controlled substances to sign up a relative to serve as a protective payee to receive benefits for a dependent child. But if children are living in a home with drug abuse and parents who are not responsible enough to place the care of children above the desire to take meth or smoke a crack pipe; shouldn't they be removed from the dangerous situation? The question of what to do about the children will likely be seriously considered and debated as Liebmann’s bill move forward.
*****
Second, how much will this testing cost Oklahoma taxpayers each year? In Florida the annual tab will be $3.5 million dollars. TANF is a federal program so any money ‘saved’ by not going to a drug user will not be put back into state coffers to help offset the cost of testing. That means the feds save money, but it is highly unlikely they will help the state with the cost of testing. Oklahoma taxpayers will foot the bill to help combat fraud and the feds will redistribute the ‘saved’ money to other states.
*****
If Liebmann can find a way to help those kids who are in homes where dope is being used and a way to fund the program, this bill should sail through the legislature. Really why shouldn’t people wanting government assistance be drug tested before they get a dime of taxpayer funded assistance? Most employers now require new hires pass a drug test before employment. Many employers conduct ‘random’ drug tests to insure a safe working environment for their employees. The poor and downtrodden should be shown compassion during difficult economic times. But when they use taxpayer dollars to buy dope and alcohol that is not giving them a hand up, it’s giving them a hand out.
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