State Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) is planning to file legislation-three separate bills, in fact-in the coming year's legislative session to require those who are receiving State taxpayer-funded benefits to submit to mandatory testing for illegal drugs. If all three bills were to pass, the testing regimes would apply to those seeking public welfare benefits such as Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF-formerly AFDC) or food stamps, unemployment compensation, or workers' compensation. Both Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) say they want to hear more about the proposals before they support them, as they fear that it may mean excessive costs for the State.
Senator Campfield's proposal, unlike the controversial Florida law under federal injunction, would only test for illegal and/or illicit substances, not for prescription drugs of any kind. Because of this, Campfield's legislation should be relatively low-cost and well worth it in order to keep the State of Tennessee from funding someone's illegal choices as much as it is possible to do so. Since these are taxpayer-funded benefits, there should be no debate about the need to keep tax money from moving into the world of illegal drugs and-for more importantly-the current criminal underworld which deals in them which such tax money would be (and in some cases-however small the number-certainly is) helping to fund.
Many employers require drug testing for employment, so why doesn't the State require it if you are going to receive State tax dollars to subsist?
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