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RES-2013-049 <br /> s�G <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> Resolution Opposing Potential Drug Testing for Public Assistance <br /> Recipients <br /> WHEREAS, Senate Bill 594 has been introduced in the 2013 North Carolina General Assembly <br /> session, proposing drug testing requirements for recipients of public assistance and requiring <br /> families who apply for Work First to be screened at their own expense; and <br /> WHEREAS, the proposed drug testing requirements would create hardships for families with the <br /> least resources and in many cases will discourage those families from applying for available <br /> assistance even when no substance abuse is present; and <br /> WHEREAS, if a family does pursue the screening and no issues are identified, it is proposed <br /> that the local county social services department will reimburse the family for the costs although <br /> no State funds have been appropriated for this expense, thereby establishing another State <br /> unfunded mandate for county governments; and <br /> WHEREAS, the imposition of a drug testing requirement appears discriminatory by requiring low <br /> income families to be screened when many other individuals supported by other various <br /> government subsidies and programs are not subject to these arbitrarily invasive requirements; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, provisions such as the one proposed have been successfully challenged on <br /> constitutional grounds in other states and the same challenge would likely occur in North <br /> Carolina, while in the interim local agencies will have already implemented procedures to adopt <br /> the new rules, clients will have already been impacted and costs will already have been <br /> incurred; and <br /> WHEREAS, there are presently a significant number of requirements that limit the eligible <br /> population for the Work First Program, including provisions that 1) the Program only serves <br /> parents with children; 2) parents must comply with various regulations related to the education <br /> and health of their children; and 3) parents must also participate in work related activities <br /> (usually thirty hours per week); <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br /> support all families and children and believe that the changes being proposed to the Work First <br /> Program through Senate Bill 594 will harm children and their parents, will be ineffective and <br /> costly, will create another unfunded mandate for county governments, and will ultimately and <br /> appropriately be reversed on constitutional grounds as has occurred in other states. The Board <br /> encourages all members of the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Pat McCrory to <br /> oppose the changes detailed in Senate Bill 594 and any other bills requiring drug testing as a <br /> condition of eligibility for public assistance programs. <br /> This the 18th day of June 2013. <br /> Barry Jaco , ai <br /> Orange C unty Bo of C missioners <br />