LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Governor Rick Snyder has signed a bill to set up a one-year, three-county pilot project for suspicion-based drug testing of people who apply for welfare benefits. The governor says he favors an approach that starts small, and directs people who test positive to a treatment program – at least, at first.
"If someone’s got a substance abuse problem, I want us to try to help them solve that substance abuse problem, and not just cut off their benefits,” he said. “If they continue to have substance problems and don’t solve their problem, that’s a different story.”
The state Department of Human Services will launch the project in October and will report its findings a year later. The department will use a screening process to determine if there’s a reasonable cause to order a test for illegal drug use.
Michigan adopted a mandatory drug testing law in 1999, but it was struck down by a federal judge for being too broad in its approach. Suspicion-based testing has survived legal challenges in other states.
The governor also signed other bills today, including one to expand Michigan’s film incentives, which Snyder scaled back early in his first term.
The governor also vetoed a bill. It would have created a system for the governor and legislative leaders to name delegates if a national convention is called to draft a balanced budget amendment. The governor said the measure invested too much appointment authority with legislative leaders, who are not elected by the entire state.