AN ACT relating to substance abuse screening for public assistance recipients.
     Amend KRS 205.200 to require the cabinet to design and implement a substance abuse screening program for individuals receiving monetary assistance, food stamps, or medical assistance; permit blood or urine testing but require less expensive methods first; state that adult recipient's are ineligible if the person does not participate in the program or tests positive for a controlled substance for which that person does not have a prescription; require screening before the person begins to receive public assistance, and once per year during a random month; make results of testing inadmissible in criminal proceedings; create a probationary period of 60 days following the first positive test, then require the recipient to pay for a second test after 60 days; recipients with a negative result must pass two additional random screenings during the next 24 months; individuals failing the second test face immediate suspension of benefits; after a subsequent failed test, a protective services visit to the home of the recipient shall be made to determine the safety of any children in the home; after a third failed test the cabinet shall investigate if the children should be renewed from the home; provide that the provisions of the Act shall not become operational unless the U.S. Congress passes a law to permit substance abuse screening as a condition of eligibility, to permit randomized substance abuse screening, and to provide funding for the program.

     Feb 9-introduced in House
     Feb 10-to Health & Welfare (H)