A welfare drug ban advances to Missouri's House

A measure to require drug testing of welfare recipients is one of the first two bills before the Missouri House when it returns on Tuesday (Jan. 18). The measure would require drug testing of either a recipient or an applicant of "Temporary Assistance to Needy Families" (TANF) whom the department suspects of being an illegal drug user. Legislative staff estimates the requirement would cost the state more than $2 million in the first full year of implementation based largely on the estimated costs of conducting the tests. A positive test would result in a one-year ban in TANF benefits. A similar measure cleared the House in 2010 but stalled in the Senate Health Committee.