House revises, passes LaBruzzo's drug testing bill for welfare recipients
by Bill Barrow - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, endured some ribbing Wednesday on his way to a 61-27 House vote in favor of his proposal to expand drug testing of certain recipients of cash public assistance. House Bill 617 now moves to the Senate, where it is likely to face more probing and amendments. In its latest form, the bill would require the state to test 20 percent of the recipients of the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant Program. The House voted to strip the bill's previous focus on pregnant women. And LaBruzzo successfully added an amendment that would have the recipients sign a consent form for the drug testing, a move he pitched as a way to avoid having the bill struck down as an unconstitutional search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The state already tests recipients who are flagged as potential drug users based on a written questionnaire. As with that system, LaBruzzo's bill would not strip benefits unless a person who tests positive refuses to undergo state-paid treatment.