Unemployment Drug-Testing Law Delayed
Texans applying for unemployment benefits will be subject to a new drug screening procedure in a program scheduled to take effect Feb. 1. But the Texas Workforce Commission said it will not be able to start the program on the state’s timetable because the United States Labor Department has not set the required parameters.
As proponents of the program raise concerns about the Labor Department’s progress, the Workforce Commission is preparing for the testing without knowing who will be tested.
State legislators last year approved Senate Bill 21, which requires first-time applicants in some professions to submit to a drug test if a screening questionnaire indicates possible drug use. Those who tested positive would be ineligible to receive benefits for at least a month, until they passed another drug test. An applicant can enroll in a treatment program to remain eligible for benefits within a week of receiving notice of a failed drug test.
The state was able to put such a policy in place after the passage of a federal law that allows states to drug-test certain people applying for unemployment benefits. But guidelines for such a program cannot be drafted without direction from the Labor Department, which must outline the occupations that fall under the federal law for such drug tests.
More at http://kut.org/post/unemployment-drug-testing-law-delayed .