CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.

House Bill 0271c1

Florida House of Representatives - 1997 CS/HB 271 By the Committee on Children & Family Empowerment and Representatives Arnall, Fasano, Sanderson, Albright, Feeney, Wise, Morroni, Byrd, Lacasa, Bainter, Thrasher, Bitner, Ziebarth, Culp and Boyd 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to public assistance; creating 3 s. 414.103, F.S.; providing for random drug 4 testing under the "Work and Gain Economic 5 Self-sufficiency (WAGES) Act" for illegal use 6 of controlled substances; providing 7 responsibilities of the Department of Children 8 and Family Services; providing requirements 9 relating to notice of and procedures for random 10 drug testing; providing for certain retesting 11 and appeal of test results; providing for 12 notice of local substance abuse assistance 13 programs; providing for nonresidential 14 rehabilitation treatment; providing for 15 termination of temporary assistance or 16 services; providing certain limitations; 17 providing an effective date. 18 19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20 21 Section 1. Section 414.103, Florida Statutes, is 22 created to read: 23 414.103 Random testing for illegal use of controlled 24 substances.--The Department of Children and Family Services 25 shall develop and implement a program to randomly test 26 applicants for temporary assistance or services provided under 27 this chapter for the illegal use of controlled substances. The 28 provisions of this section shall only take effect to the 29 extent that funds and treatment slots are available 30 specifically for providing for a 90-day nonresidential 31 1 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 CS/HB 271 602-104-97 1 rehabilitation treatment program for recipients who test 2 positive under testing conducted pursuant to this section. 3 (1) Under this program the department shall: 4 (a) Provide advance notice, or reasonable opportunity 5 for advance notice, of such random testing. The notice shall 6 advise that there is a random drug testing requirement as a 7 condition for receiving temporary assistance or services under 8 this chapter, and shall specify the assistance and services 9 subject to this requirement. 10 (b) Prior to testing, provide actual notice to each 11 person to be tested, which shall advise that the random drug 12 testing requirement is a condition for receiving assistance or 13 services. The notice shall also advise that the required drug 14 test may be avoided by not applying for and receiving such 15 assistance or services and that, in the event of a positive 16 test, the person tested will be referred to a local substance 17 abuse assistance program. 18 (c) Provide a procedure to advise each person tested, 19 before the test is conducted, that he or she may, but is not 20 required to, advise the agent administering the test of any 21 prescription or over-the-counter medication he or she is 22 taking. 23 (d) Require each person to be tested to sign a written 24 acknowledgement that he or she has received and understood the 25 notice and advice provided under paragraphs (b) and (c). 26 (e) Provide a procedure for the random drug test 27 provided for under this section. 28 (f) Provide a procedure to assure each person being 29 tested a reasonable degree of dignity while producing and 30 submitting a urine, blood, or other sample, consistent with 31 the state's need to ensure reliability of the sample. 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 CS/HB 271 602-104-97 1 (g) Specify circumstances under which a person who 2 fails a random drug test has the right to take one or more 3 additional tests. 4 (h) Provide a procedure for appeal of drug test 5 results by a person who fails a random test, and for advising 6 the appellant that he or she may, but is not required to, 7 advise appropriate staff of any prescription or 8 over-the-counter medication he or she has been taking. 9 (i) Notify each person who fails a random drug test of 10 the local substance abuse assistance programs that may be 11 available to such person. 12 (j) Provide a 90-day nonresidential rehabilitation 13 treatment program for a person who fails a random drug test 14 and has been determined to be eligible to receive WAGES 15 assistance and services, and provide for a retest at the end 16 of the 90-day period. Failure to pass the retest will result 17 in the termination of temporary assistance or services 18 provided under this chapter. 19 (2) Random drug testing provided under this section 20 shall be limited solely to the detection of the illegal use of 21 controlled substances and shall not be conducted for any other 22 purpose. The department shall not develop or implement any 23 procedure designed to advise law enforcement authorities as to 24 whether a person has passed or failed a drug test under this 25 section. 26 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 1997. 27 28 29 30 31 3