JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The two Republicans running for lieutenant governor say people receiving welfare or unemployment benefits in Mississippi should be subject to drug testing.
The proposal is part of a policy agenda that one of the candidates, state Sen. Billy Hewes, unveiled Wednesday during a news conference in the state Capitol.
His opponent in the Aug. 2 primary, state Treasurer Tate Reeves, said in a separate interview that he agrees with drug testing for people on public assistance. Reeves questioned why Hewes hasn't already pushed it into law, since Hewes has been in the Legislature 20 years.
"Has he filed a bill to do that?" Reeves asked.
The legislative website shows that Hewes did file such a bill this year, and that it died in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.
Hewes said he also wants to repeal the state inventory tax, strengthen vocational training in high schools, consolidate administrative functions for state agencies, order audits of state consulting contracts and require more disclosure about contracts for private attorneys who handle lawsuits on behalf of the state.
Reeves said his priority would be job creation.
"I don't believe government creates jobs," Reeves said. "Government simply creates the environment which encourages the private sector to invest capital and create jobs."
Reeves said he also wants to eliminate the inventory tax but over time. Doing so immediately, he said, could hurt local governments that rely on the revenue. He said he also wants to increase educational attainment in Mississippi and streamline state government by reducing the number of publicly-owned or leased vehicles and cell phones. Reeves said he agrees with requiring more disclosure about public contracts for private attorneys.
Hewes and Reeves both said they'd push for a "Caylee's Law," requiring parents or grandparents to promptly report missing or dead children. Legislators in several states say they'll push for such laws to honor Caylee Anthony, a toddler slain in Florida.
Reeves questioned the timing of Hewes' releasing a list of policy proposals.
"After 20 years in the Legislature and with only 13 days to go in this campaign, I wonder why my opponent is just now bringing up some of these ideas," Reeves said.
The drug testing proposal is not unique to Mississippi. Other states, including Florida and Missouri, enacted laws this year requiring drug testing for people on public assistance.
The Florida law requires people applying for welfare to pay for their own drug testing. If they pass, they're reimbursed. If they fail the test, they can't receive public assistance for at least a year. The Missouri law requires testing if there's reasonable cause to suspect a welfare recipient is using illegal drugs.
Hewes responded to questions Wednesday about whether he'd require drug testing only for low-income people on public assistance or if he'd also propose it for executives of companies receiving tax breaks or other incentives to bring jobs to Mississippi.
"I think if we're going to do drug testing at one level, we should have it at all. If you're receiving any sort of assistance from the state, it ought to be across the board," Hewes said.
Then, after more detailed questions, Hewes said his drug testing proposal would only be for people receiving welfare or unemployment benefits. He also said he would not kick children off Medicaid, for example, if a parent tests positive for illegal drug use.
"You can't fault the kids for what the parents are doing," Hewes said.
Janis Lane, a Hewes supporter who attended the news conference, said people who work for private companies are often subject to random drug testing and she believes it's fair to put the same requirement on those receiving public aid. Lane, 63, is retired from a telephone company and is president of the Central Mississippi Tea Party.
"I don't spend my money on drugs, and I don't think anyone should because I think we should have clear minds so that we can make reasonable decisions and we can conduct our business appropriately," Lane said. "With drugs, you're taking away from your children, and that money could be used more wisely, being spent on your children."
The lieutenant governor's race will be decided, for all practical purposes, in the Republican primary. No Democrat is running. A Reform Party candidate is expected to be on the Nov. 8 ballot, but the Reform Party has no history of winning elections in the state.
The current lieutenant governor, Republican Phil Bryant, is running for governor this year.
The lieutenant governor presides over the 52-member state Senate, appoints Senate committee chairmen and assigns bills to committees.
Hewes, 49, of Gulfport, is in the insurance business and has been a state senator the past 20 years. Reeves, 37, of Flowood, has been state treasurer for the past eight years.
No comments:
Post a Comment