Despite Legal Issues, Lawmaker Pitches Drug Testing for Food Stamp Recipients

“If it’s one, then that person should not be receiving the benefit. You’re asking working men and woman in Georgia to subsidize drug use with their tax dollars and that’s just mind-boggling,” said Morris.

In 2012, state lawmakers passed a similar bill requiring drug testing for welfare recipients. But due to legal challenges, it hasn’t been implemented.

Morris’ bill comes despite a federal judge recently striking down a similar law in Florida. The ruling said “warrantless, suspicionless drug testing” violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, called Morris’ bill a “colossal waste of time.”

“This issue has been litigated to death and the court very strongly said that this is unconstitutional,” said Holcomb. “If all we do every single year is come up with new bills to attack poor people in our state we’re not going to move the needle forward at all.”

So far, Morris’ bill has no co-sponsors.