Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act
Plain Language Summary
# Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act – Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill would require states to test or screen welfare applicants for drug use before they can receive benefits. Specifically, it applies to three major assistance programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), food stamps (SNAP), and public housing assistance. Applicants with a drug-related arrest in the past five years would be required to take a drug test and pass it to receive benefits.
Those without such an arrest history would be screened through interviews or questionnaires to assess drug abuse risk—and those flagged as high-risk would also have to test negative to qualify. **Who it affects:** The bill targets adult applicants seeking welfare, food assistance, or public housing support. It would primarily impact low-income individuals and families relying on government aid programs. **Current status:** The bill (HR 372) was introduced by Republican Representative David Rouzer of North Carolina in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been voted on by the full House. Similar drug-testing proposals have been debated for years, with supporters arguing they prevent substance abuse among aid recipients and critics raising concerns about costs, privacy, and whether it actually improves outcomes.
CRS Official Summary
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients ActThis bill requires states participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and specified public housing programs to subject applicants to substance abuse testing or screening and to deny benefits for individuals who test positive for a controlled substance.Specifically, states administering these programs must determine whether an adult applicant for benefits has been arrested for a drug-related offense within the past five years. Applicants who have been arrested for such an offense must be tested for at least one controlled substance and must test negative to receive benefits. Applicants who have not been arrested for such an offense must be screened (via an interview, questionnaire, or other instrument) for risk of substance abuse. Applicants determined to be at high risk for substance abuse must be tested for at least one controlled substance and must test negative to receive benefits. Applicants who are determined not to be at high risk do not have to undergo testing. Applicants who test positive for a controlled substance at any point during this process are ineligible for benefits for one year, until they complete a treatment program, or until they test negative for the substance, whichever is later. Family members and households of individuals disqualified from receiving benefits under these provisions may generally continue to receive support.States that fail to enforce these provisions are subject to reduced federal funding for these programs the following fiscal year.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.