Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey has renewed his call for drug testing of people who receive government-related benefits and says it will be a priority in the current legislative session, reports Rick Locker.
“We will have some legislation ready to go on that. I can’t tell you exactly what it’s going to be right now but it will deal with making sure that when people apply for unemployment compensation that they’re supposed to get it, and second of all, I still want to make sure that we’re drug testing practically everyone getting any kind of government benefits,” Ramsey said.
…Gov. Bill Haslam has said he’s not sold on the concept of drug testing recipients on state assistance, largely because he’s not sure of the costs and whether it’s legal under federal law. House Republican leaders have also stopped short of endorsing the idea.
But that didn’t deter Ramsey on Friday. And when questioned on the issue in light of the state’s shift in policy on economic development incentives — Haslam’s legislative package unveiled last week would add outright grants of taxpayer cash to the state’s existing arsenal of tax breaks, worker training and infrastructure assistance — Ramsey said he’d be “fine” with testing corporate executives, too.
“It’s fine with me. I mean I’ll have to check into that,” he said.
“I’m fine with that. I’m fine with legislators being drug tested. Because I know that we will be criticized if we target one segment of society like that. But you’re right, if they’re getting state money, federal money — oh I shouldn’t — I don’t know how you define who the executives are.” He said that’s something lawmakers would have to look into.