In a sane world this would be a no-brainer, but we don’t live in a sane world.
Via JSonline:
Setting up a likely legal fight in the federal courts, Gov. Scott Walker is proceeding with his plan to ensure that drug users aren’t getting food stamp or jobless benefits.
Fulfilling a campaign promise, the Republican governor committed Thursday to putting the proposal in his next budget but provided few new details on how he would pursue a plan that could run afoul of federal rules in programs such as food stamps and unemployment insurance.
For the first time, he did commit to offering free treatment and job training for those testing positive for drugs, but he offered no details on how the state would cover the costs of that or the testing. The budget, Walker said in a statement, would also drop from four years from five the limit on how long a recipient could be on the Wisconsin Works program, the replacement in this state to traditional welfare.
“We know employers in Wisconsin have jobs available, but they don’t have enough qualified employees to fill those positions,” Walker said. “With this budget, we are addressing some of the barriers keeping people from achieving true freedom and prosperity and the independence that comes with having a good job and doing it well.”
The governor has said in the past that the drug-testing proposal would only apply to able-bodied adults, not the elderly or children.