Sponsor
David Rouzer
Representative · R-NC
Representative · R-NC
Official title: To require certain welfare programs to deny benefits to persons who fail a drug test, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by David Rouzer · Last progress January 13, 2025
The bill prioritizes drug screening and conditional benefit access to deter misuse and link some recipients to treatment, but does so by expanding arrest-based screening, mandatory testing, and penalties that risk increasing food, cash, and housing instability, raising privacy and equity concerns, and straining state and local program capacity.
Low-income applicants and tenants: States and public housing agencies must not charge applicants for drug testing and PHAs have funding flexibility to cover testing costs, reducing out-of-pocket fees for people seeking benefits.
Low-income individuals with screening triggers: Required screening/testing can identify people who use controlled substances and, for some, connect them to treatment services they might not otherwise access.
Households in assisted housing: Removing fee burdens and giving PHAs explicit authority to cover testing may modestly improve perceived safety and allow local agencies to manage screening locally.
Adults who test positive (TANF, SNAP, federally assisted housing): Individuals can be disqualified from cash assistance, SNAP, or federally assisted housing for at least 12 months, substantially raising risks of food insecurity, housing instability, and financial hardship for them and their dependents.
People with arrest histories (including those not convicted) and communities of color: States' required 5-year arrest-history checks to trigger screening/testing risk excluding people arrested but not convicted and disproportionately harming racial/ethnic minorities and low-income applicants.
States, PHAs, and program participants: The bill imposes new screening/testing rules and allows steep financial penalties (e.g., 15% reimbursement or funding cuts) for noncompliance, increasing administrative burden and risking reduced program capacity, outreach, and maintenance.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires 5-year arrest checks, substance screening, and drug testing for adults to receive TANF, SNAP, or federally assisted housing and disqualifies positive testers for at least 12 months until treatment and negative tests.
Requires states and public housing agencies to screen and/or drug-test people age 18 or older seeking or receiving TANF cash assistance, SNAP benefits, or federally assisted housing. Individuals with a recent drug-related arrest or a positive screening are required to test and may be disqualified from benefits for at least 12 months and until they complete treatment and test negative; states may set testing details but cannot charge applicants. Noncompliance by a state can trigger a 15% penalty to certain federal grants or administrative reimbursements.