Drug testing bill brought back by General Assembly

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Updated: March 1, 2012 9:52AM

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana General Assembly members will have the choice to submit to random drug testing or face penalties under a bill brought back by an Indiana House Republican on Monday.

State Rep. Jud McMillin, R-Brookville, withdrew the bill that creates a pilot program to drug test public assistance recipients Friday after House members added an amendment requiring legislators submit to tests.

McMillin said he felt the addition would lead to legal issues, so he introduced another amendment Monday that he told House members would meet constitutional muster.

The amendment unlike the one offered by a House Democrat gives legislators the option to submit to drug tests and nixes the requirement for alcohol testing. If a lawmaker opts out of testing, the bill takes away privileges such as reserved parking and office space at the Statehouse.

“The philosophical reason that we have that testing is we have a system right now that rewards a free lunch,” McMillin said of testing Temporary Assistance for Needing Families program recipients.

State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, unsuccessfully tried to pass an amendment that would broaden the testing to groups that receive a grant, loan or tax credit from the state.

“The state is giving those persons thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions of dollars, and we know very little about their background,” Brown said. “If we talk about testing a person that may receive $8 to $10 to $12,000 from the state of Indiana why not apply the same principle to those receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The bill is eligible for a final reading on Tuesday.