Florida state workers face random drug tests under new law

news.yahoo.com...

Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed a law allowing state employees to be randomly tested for drugs, a measure likely to draw a legal challenge over its constitutionality.

The Republican governor signed the Drug-free Workplace Act, which will permit state agencies to randomly test up to 10 percent of their employees, his office said on Monday.

Not so long ago, Florida passed a law that requires welfare recipients to take random drug tests. There are a few threads on that law on here, and it was pretty controversial.

Today, the law was signed that allows state employees to be drug tested. Oklahoma passed a similar bill in their house about a week ago to I believe. I was against drug testing welfare recipients, and pretty much everyone. I would be against this new law for state employees,....but when the state (in this case Florida) mandated that some group must be drug tested, while the state employees themselves are not being drug tested, that seemed pretty unfair to me. Glad there is some even ground here.

I found another story with a bit more perspective on this...

Under the law, which cleared the Legislature March 9, agency heads are allowed (but not required) to randomly test up to 10 percent of their workforce for illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and alcohol, every three months. Elected officials are exempt.

The Republican-backed measure is intended, supporters say, to be a net benefit in that it gives workers who have drug problems a way to get clean, while at the same time protecting the broader citizenry from impaired public servants.

Source

Well, I say when the elected officials are *NOT* exempt, we might be onto something because they'll be serious about doing something on the problem. This doesn't even require departments to do the testing though. It simply says they can and caps the %.

They worry about impaired workers? Okay,...Perhaps.. I worry about impaired lawmakers FAR more. One stoned state worker can effect some lives. One drunk and impaired lawmaker can effect millions. I'm all for the cup when they take the spot in line directly in front of me. Until then....Nope.

No its not even ground. Florida legislators are exempt from drug tests. The real reason Rick Scott made this law is because his company Solantic will get the contract for the drug testing.

reply to post by buni11687


What's good for one is good for all. Right?

reply to post by jrod

Wow, interesting angle to the story - but the company is in his wife's name, so no conflict of interest there.

Scott has aggressively pursued policies like testing state workers and welfare recipients for drugs, switching Medicaid patients to private HMOs and shrinking public health clinics. All these changes could benefit that $62 million investment, but Scott sees no legal conflict between his public role and private investments.

www.tampabay.com...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Oh jeez, I just checked your link and saw this......of course the lawmakers would be exempt from their own laws.....

But it exempts the governor and state legislators.

I was originally under the impression that this law covered all state employees. I should of looked at a few more articles before making this thread.

Originally posted by buni11687
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Oh jeez, I just checked your link and saw this......of course the lawmakers would be exempt from their own laws.....

But it exempts the governor and state legislators.

I was originally under the impression that this law covered all state employees. I should of looked at a few more articles before making this thread.

edit on 20-3-2012 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)

Me too.... I was excited by your thread and went looking for this to make sure it wasn't slipped in somewhere like other laws always seem to. I was disappointed, if not surprised to find it. Your OP link was a much better story without that detail.

My Political Science instructor spent his life locally as a High School teacher and Union official. He'd said when drug testing came around for the district, he'd been all for it and completely supported that including faculty and administration. He said the Teachers ultimately killed the measure they first wanted because of the faculty requirement.

He didn't understand it....and frankly neither do I. If one won't do something, don't tell others to.