Welfare Drug Tests Sought By New Hampshire GOP
New Hampshire state Republicans have introduced a
bill with a strict message for welfare applicants: If you can't pass a drug
test, you won't receive benefits.
The bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Donald LeBrun
(R-Nashua) and Jeanine Notter (R-Merrimack), would mandate that welfare applicants first submit a clean
drug test before receiving assistance under the federally
funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Republicans in
other states have proposed a plethora of similar schemes in recent years, with
hardly any becoming law.
"[There are] people who have worked and paid
taxes their whole lives and get no help when they need it," Notter wrote
in an email to The Huffington Post, explaining the reasoning behind the bill.
"Meanwhile, there are those who know how to work the system and to get
free stuff. There are many loopholes in the system."
New Hampshire Democrats are not convinced. House
Majority Leader Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) criticized the measure, saying the
bill would stigmatize individuals receiving federal assistance without truly
reforming the welfare program.
"It speaks to a lack of understanding about
vulnerable citizens in our state and elsewhere," Norelli told HuffPost.
"This doesn't reform anything. It singles out and makes the suggestion
that if you need assistance, you must be doing something bad."
All I can say is that it is about time.
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