{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://pocan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/pocan-moore-seek-detailed-explanation-for-governor-s-drug-testing", "Pocan, Moore Seek Detailed Explanation for Governors Drug-Testing Proposal", "2014-09-30", "2014", "2014-09", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Mark Pocan", "P000607", "pocan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Gwen S. Moore (WI-04) wrote Governor Scott Walker to request details about his proposal to require mandatory drug testing for recipients of FoodShare and Unemployment Insurance. The signed letter is available here.\n\u201cIt is time Governor Scott Walker stop blaming the poor for being poor,\u201d Rep. Pocan said. \u201cBefore coming up with new, costly, and ineffective policies, Governor Walker needs to first explain to Wisconsin taxpayers how he intends to address next year\u2019s projected $1.9 billion deficit.\u201d\n\u201cDrug testing as a condition of eligibility for critical, life-saving social services is a gross insult to Wisconsin\u2019s struggling families,\u201d Rep. Moore said. \u201cThe insinuation that those battling poverty are somehow more susceptible to substance abuse is as absurd as it is offensive. Governor Walker needs to focus less on finding ways to discriminate against Wisconsin\u2019s most vulnerable and focus more on fixing his failed policies that contributed to our state\u2019s current economic trouble.\u201d\nAccording to Hunger Task Force, states that have adopted drug testing policies have consistently demonstrated that they are invasive, costly, and constitutionally unsound.\nIn 2011, Florida passed a similar drug testing requirement, which courts eventually ruled was unconstitutional.\nFlorida Governor Rick Scott implemented drug testing for all recipients of federal benefits and state workers. The law required applicants to pay for the test and allowed denial of benefits to anyone who refused testing. From July-September 2011, only 9 failures were recorded, while 565 individuals were declined benefits due to refusal. Given that these are low-income individuals, denying benefits to those who refuse to participate assumes those individuals are drug users when in fact they may simply be unable to afford the test. By 2014, courts have repeatedly deemed the process unconstitutional, yet Florida spent nearly $400,000 defending the program in court. Only 2.6 percent of recipients in Florida tested positive for narcotics \u2013 below the national average \u2013 and the program cost more tax dollars to implement than it saved in denying benefits.\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://pocan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/pocan-moore-seek-detailed-explanation-for-governor-s-drug-testing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9152509737759829, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}