Georgia takes hard line on public assistance | www.myajc.com

If the states are vying to see who can pass the toughest standards for government aid to the poor, Georgia has seized the lead.

Gov. Nathan Deal must decide by Tuesday whether to approve the latest example: the nation’s hardest-hitting law on drug testing poor people for public assistance.

 

Opponents, mostly Democrats, have called the measure “insane,” “mean-spirited,” financially irresponsible and part of a politically motivated war on the poor. Backers, mostly Republicans, call it common-sense legislation that encourages personal responsibility and keeps taxpayer money from those who would spend it on drugs.

 

Under House Bill 772, Georgia would require an applicant for welfare or food stamps to undergo a drug test — at the applicant’s expense — if he or she raised reasonable suspicion of drug use, including through “missed appointments” or by their “demeanor.”

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