Bill Text: HI HCR246 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging the Department of Human Services to explore the possibility of allowing government agencies providing government assistance to conduct random drug testing of adult individuals receiving public assistance and suspending this assistance if the individual tests positive for substance abuse.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-28 - (H) The committee(s) recommends that the measure be deferred. [HCR246 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2011-HCR246-Introduced.html
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
246 |
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
urging the Department of human services to explore the possibility of allowing government agencies providing government assistance to conduct random drug testing of adult individuals receiving public assistance and suspending this assistance if the individual tests positive for substance abuse.
WHEREAS, the recent economic crisis facing the nation has resulted in increasing numbers of individuals seeking government assistance; and
WHEREAS, government assistance programs are funded through taxpayer dollars and state and local governments are currently facing economic crises of their own often struggling to find funding for even the most basic public services; and
WHEREAS, although the statistics are not staggering, a recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services found that 9.6 percent of people living in households that receive government assistance used illicit drugs in the previous month; and
WHEREAS, since individuals receiving public assistance are receiving this aid through the use of taxpayer dollars, it has been suggested that requiring adult individuals receiving public assistance to undergo random drug testing is the prudent thing to do to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being appropriately used for the provision of this assistance; and
WHEREAS, while legal questions have been raised
regarding random drug testing of individuals receiving government assistance,
this issue should be explored further to determine its feasibility; now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate
concurring, that the Department of Human Services is urged to explore the
possibility of allowing government agencies providing government assistance to
conduct random drug testing of adult individuals receiving public assistance
and suspending this assistance if the individual tests positive for substance
abuse; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in exploring the possibility of conducting random drug testing, the Department of Human Services shall consider legal questions raised regarding this issue and whether random drug testing of individuals receiving public assistance would be feasible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human services shall report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Urging the Department of Human Services to explore the possibility of allowing government agencies providing government assistance to conduct random drug testing of adult individuals receiving public assistance and suspending this assistance if the individual tests positive for substance abuse.