Signed by Governor Asa Hutchinson

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes a pilot program that requires drug screening for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program participants, effective December 31, 2015.

Highlights:

• Establishes a 2-year pilot program that requires a participant or applicant of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program to be screened for drugs using a tool established by the Department of Workforce Services (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the department to administer a drug test to a participant if the screening tool gives reasonable suspicion that he or she has used drugs (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits a participant from receiving program benefits for 6 months if he or she declines the drug test or tests positive for drugs (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes a participant who tests positive for drugs to receive program benefits if he or she enters a drug treatment plan (Sec. 1).

• Requires a participant who tests positive for drugs to have the cost of administering the drug test deducted from his or her program benefits (Sec. 1).

• Exempts an individual participating in the Career Pathways Program or Community Investment Initiative from the provisions of this bill (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the pilot program includes the statewide population, as well as counties bordering Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and any other state bordering Arkansas that requires drug screening for TANF participants (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text