Bill requiring drug tests for welfare benefits heads to Haslam

Drug testing tile

NASHVILLE – People applying for welfare benefits in Tennessee could be required to undergo drug testing under a bill on its way to Gov. Bill Haslam.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Julia Hurley, R-Lenoir City, passed the House on a 73-17 vote. The Senate earlier passed the bill on a 24-9 vote.

The legislation requires new applicants for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Familie program to undergo a special screening process. If those results raise suspicion, the applicant would have to take a drug test.

Rep. Johnnie Turner, D-Memphis, attacked the measure, calling it “degrading.”

“It is demeaning. It is dehumanizing. It impacts on a group of people who are their lowest ebb,” he said.