Judge Halts Drug Testing for Welfare Applicants
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
By: Tom Parkinson

Oct. 25, 2011 | WMFE - A federal judge in Orlando has put a temporary stop to a state policy that calls for the drug testing of welfare recipients. United States District Court Judge Mary Scriven ruled Monday that the new rules may violate the constitutional ban on unreasonable search and seizure.

 
Luis Lebron, a University of Central Florida student, single father and military veteran brought the legal challenge.
Lebron refused to be drug tested as a condition for receiving cash and food assistance from the state.
The Florida Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union represented Lebron in court.

The state is defending the policy saying taxpayers should not have to subsidize drug addiction. A spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Scott’s office points out that the $25 to $35 testing fee is refunded if the applicant passes the drug screen.
In March, Scott also ordered random drug testing of state employees but that program was also halted after a lawsuit from the ACLU.