Governor Rick Perry put it simply yesterday. He is taking a stand on drug use by people applying for government help.
“I’m calling on the Texas Legislature to enact reforms that include authorizing the use of drug screening for TANF and unemployment benefit recipients,” Perry announced.
So, if the Governor gets his wish, when you apply for welfare or unemployment benefits, you need to prove you are not using drugs.
“Every dollar that goes to someone who uses it inappropriately is a dollar that can’t go to a Texan who needs it for housing, child care or for medicine,” Perry said as he made the joint statement with Lt. Governor David Dewhurst in
Perry didn't say there was rampant drug use among those Texans getting benefits, but says this is something the state should prevent. The Governor says employers should not support people who are hurting themselves.
“It is simply not the role of employers who fund these benefits to carry workers who keep themselves in an unemployable condition,” the Governor stated.
Perry says the reforms he and Dewhurst are suggesting just make sense.
“For workers who know they’ll need to pass a drug screening in order to get work again, part of their responsibility is to be prepared and available for work by remaining drug free,” he explained.
