Oklahoma Senate OKs Scaled-Back Drug Test Bill

Oklahoma welfare recipients could be subjected to drug tests and denied benefits under a scaled-back drug testing bill approved in the Oklahoma Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday voted 46-2 for the compromise bill that authorizes the Department of Human Services to conduct drug tests on welfare applicants if they have a reasonable suspicion the person is using drugs. The proposed law applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF, which serves an estimated 4,000 Oklahoma adults in an average month.

The bill previously would have required all TANF recipients to take and pay for a drug test before receiving benefits. The revised bill applies only to applicants who come under suspicion after being screened for potential drug use.

House Bill 2388: http://bit.ly/A1cygp