Possible drug testing for state senators in Ohio's future

As Ohio Sen. Tim Schaffer proposes Senate Bill 182, which required welfare recipients to take drug tests, to the House, Sen. Nina Turner suggests that a bill do the same—for state legislators.

This past Tuesday, Turner proposed a bill that would require state legislators to take drug tests in order to keep their positions in Ohio’s senate. If lawmakers refuse to take a drug test, they must forfeit their salary. Furthermore, if a lawmaker would test positive, they would have to enroll in a state counseling program and lose their pay.

“With this legislation, we can ensure that members of the General Assembly are responsibly representing Ohio’s taxpayers, and get legislators assistance they need it necessary,” Turner said in a statement.

Adam Warren, a legislative aid to Turner, said in an email, “We are currently working with the Legislative Service Commission to determine the cost of Senate Bill 212 to Ohio’s taxpayers.”

The biggest question seems to be if drug abuse is a big enough problem in the state senate to even propose a bill.

The bill can target certain senators based on not much more than suspicion; only if a senator is suspected of abusing drugs will he or she then be tested. It has not been made clear yet what the criteria are in order to compel a senator to take a drug test.

However, Turner says in a statement: “As members of the General Assembly, we have a great deal of responsibility. Elected officials should be held to the same level of accountability as a single mother receiving help to get back on her feet. If we want to protect taxpayer investments, then what we ask of our citizens shouldn’t be different from what we ask of ourselves.”

Schaffer, who sponsors the drug tests for welfare bill, says in a statement: “We cannot let the use of drug-induced dependency to continue anymore. This is drug induced poverty and dependency and I think we all know that pretty well- you know from media reports over the years and decades that this tends to perpetuate itself in our society and this program with [this] legislation will help break that cycle.”

Critics of SB 182 say that this bill will generalize low-income families as drug users. People also suggest that the $100,000 projected in the bill to start up drug testing welfare recipients will not be enough.

Turner could not be reached for comment.