[Michigan] State lawmakers pass bill requiring community service for those on welfare

[alp227]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Both the House and Senate took aim at struggling Michiganders Wednesday, passing bills that would deny unemployment benefits to people who refuse to take a drug test required by employers and require community service for people receiving government assistance.

The drug testing bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee on a 12-4 vote with three Democrats passing on the issue, would deny unemployment benefits for people who either refused to take a drug test required by an employer or tested positive.

The community service bill, which passed the state Senate on a 27-9 vote would require people receiving food stamps or other welfare benefits to perform community service in order to get the money.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20130918/NEWS06/309180135/food-stamps-welfare-community-service-drug

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Michigan, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, electing these teabag freaks and doing the bidding of the DeVos family and Mackinac Center? And Michigan legislators, WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

And is this really how right wingers score political points, by sh*tting on the poor?

[bif]

1. Our House and Senate are full of dooshbags

Don't get me started.

[pnwmom]

2. Right. So a mother would have to pay child care costs so she could get her $20 bucks/week worth of

food stamps. That's not going to happen.

Guess the state has found a way of trimming its food stamp budget, while blaming the poor.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. That's a feature, not a bug

The expectation is that people will drop out of the system by making it cost more than you can get in benefits.

These people do NOT care.

[happyslug]

9. Food Stamps are 100% Federally funded

Any change in Food Stamps have to be agreed to by the Federal Government. I Suspect that is why this is being passed, keeps the right wing voters happy, and has little real effect on anything.

Thus the Article is centered on people on Unemployment not Food Stamps.

[Left Coast2020]

3. This is why I'm supporting DFA.

Howard Dean's organization, is apparently working to clean out some of these scumbags at the state level.

Remember: All politics are local.

Clean out the state house(s), and you'll be in better shape.

[atreides1]

4. The Right Wingers have nothing to worry about

They have the votes to remain in office...and they've been able to convince their supporters to hate those that are different, though I don't really believe it took much convincing!

Michigan and Wisconsin are examples of the Koch Brothers wetdream...a Noble class in charge with the willing assistance of a church to keep the peasants in line...all they have to do is allow them to keep their guns, and praise Jesus!!!

[kestrel91316]

6. I support this ONLY if it applies to all residents of the state age 18-70, including

all members of the legislature. And special attention must be paid to ensuring that the 1% do THEIR community service.

[HockeyMom]

7. Working poor

I worked with a woman with 7 kids. Her husband (LEGALLY MARRIED)had a full time and part time jobs. They got FOOD STAMPS, in addition to kinds of government services. So they were supposed to do community service in addition to having 3 jobs and all those kids? HOW? Not sleep???? Blame lack of education,job skills, too many children, and religion that was against birth control. Republicans are going to address those things? Of course, not. MARRIAGE, and religion, is the solution to poverty. Right.

[happyslug]

10. As I pointed out above, Food Stamps is a 100% Federal Funded Program

Food Stamps are run through State's Welfare Systems, but the regulations that Matter are Federal Regulations AND whatever is the State Plan agreed to by the Federal Government. If the Federal Government does NOT agree to this as part of the State Plan, it has no effect. It can have affect if the Federal Government accepts it as part of the State Plan, but notice that would be up to the Federal Government.

Thus the Article centers on Unemployment, but extended unemployment is also 100% federally funded (The First six months is funded by the State). Unemployment is a joint Federal State program with some costs paid by the States (i.e. the first six months of unemployment) and other costs paid by the Federal Government (any extended benefits AND paying for the system itself, through the system is a state system, it if federally funded).

[CANDO]

8. Hey GOP, lets set up a jobs program like FDR did!

GOP, "hell no, that's socialism"! GOP, "hey you lazy welfare recipients, you're gonna work for that money you're getting from the gov't." The irony, it burns!

[eggplant]

11. I'm so glad I got out of there in the 90s.

West Michigan was bad enough with the DeVos clan. Now it seems like their ilk is running the whole state. Ugh.

[Skittles]

12. I am sick, sick, SICK of repukes demonizing those who are down

how about they demand accountability for the amount of lives and money wasted on senseless war???

[bearssoapbox]

13. How about a sobriety test for lawmakers that write and pass these bills?

Test not only for drugs, but alcohol as well.

Random drug tests and a breathalyzer as they walk in door before any presentation or vote.

I notice that one rep tried to get drug testing done.

“Wholesale drug testing without suspicion is simply illegal,” said Shelli Weisberg, spokeswoman for the ACLU in Michigan. “If we’re going down the road of drug testing for people who receive benefits, then we better start drug testing legislators.”

State Rep. Jon Switalski, D-Warren, offered an amendment to the drug testing bill that would do just that, but it failed.

[alp227]

19. at least KANSAS had the guts to pass such an amendment

"The testing, already required of the governor and several other top state officials, now also extends to House and Senate members suspected of illegal drug use."

[jmowreader]

21. I have a better idea

Not only require drug, alcohol and cotinine tests (cotinine is a biomarker for nicotine and is testable for a week after you smoke tobacco) for legislators who vote for things like this, require them to either sell or place into inaccessible storage any luxury item, which we will define as any car but an aircooled Volkswagen Beetle, any dwelling that would rent for more than $700 per month, any piece of electronics except for a prepaid cell phone costing no more than $50, any household good not purchased secondhand at a garage sale or thrift store, or any garment that cannot be obtained at a garage sale, a thrift store, Target, Walmart, TJMaxx or Ross Dress for Less. Furthermore, no legislator who votes for these bills will be allowed to purchase or consume any commercially-cooked food item, and their grocery bill may not exceed 200 percent of the current food stamp allotment for their family size.

Let them live like po' folk for a term or so and see if it changes their viewpoint.

[Snake Plissken]

14. Does that mean I'll soon see the CEOs of Government Contractors and Wall St Banks

picking up trash on the side of the road?

[askeptic]

15. Pretty sure the state will lose in court

Although they are trying a tiny bit different angle, the drug testing in exchange for benefits has already been tagged by at least one federal court. Also, there should be no requirement to pay in if the insurance won't pay when you are out of work. Adding these kinds of contingencies is going to lose in court.

[Faygo Kid]

16. Really sad that my home state is run by a bunch of teabaggers

Michigan has a great progressive tradition, but these assclowns are ready to wreck it.

Can transvaginal ultrasounds be far behind? Probably not. At least Medicaid was expanded, which was amazing given the current political climate.

Like North Carolina, Michigan has been hijacked, and the backlash is coming.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. "require community service for those on welfare"? Including corporations and politicians? nt

[AtheistCrusader]

18. The war on poverty continues.

Not to lift them up, but to stomp them flat...

[markpkessinger]

20. I wonder if this will withstand a legal challenge . . .

Unemployment insurance is just that -- insurance, for which the employee contributes part of the premium anytime he or she is working. It is not intended to be a means by which the state can extract labor from someone. I'd be fairly surprised to see any court uphold it upon legal challenge.

Of course, the hypocrisy of it all is just mind-boggling. These are the same folks who criticize the unemployed for "not looking hard enough" for a new job. So what do they do? Impinge on the available time unemployed people have to look for jobs.

[blkmusclmachine]

22. Slave labor.