HB-6161, As Passed House, September 22, 2004

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 6161

                                                                             A bill to amend 1939 PA 280, entitled                                             

"The social welfare act,"                                                   

by amending section 57l (MCL 400.57l), as added by 1999 PA 17.               

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 57l.  (1) Subject to subsection (2), the family                        

2   independence agency may require a recipient to submit to

3   substance abuse testing as a condition for family independence              

4   assistance eligibility under this act if a department employee              

5   has reasonable suspicion of substance abuse by the recipient.               

6       (2) The family independence agency shall implement a pilot                  

7   program of suspicion-based substance abuse testing as a condition           

8   for family independence assistance eligibility  in at least 3               

9   counties, including random substance abuse testing.  It is the              

10  intent of the legislature that a statewide program of substance             

11  abuse testing of family independence assistance recipients,                 

1   including random substance abuse testing, be implemented before             

2   April 1, 2003.  However, statewide implementation of the                    

3   substance abuse testing program shall not begin until all of the            

4   following have been completed:                                              

5       (a) The pilot programs have first been evaluated by the                     

6   department and the evaluation has been submitted to the                     

7   legislature.                                                                

8       (b) The evaluation under subdivision (a) includes at least                  

9   the factors enumerated in subsection (5)(a) through (d) as well             

10  as an analysis of the pilot program.                                        

11      (c) Six months have passed since the evaluation required in                 

12  subdivision (a) has been submitted to the legislature. according           

13  to a protocol that includes all of the following 4 steps:                   

14      (a) The family independence agency administers a substance                  

15  abuse survey.                                                               

16      (b) A substance abuse professional screens the individual for               

17  suspicion of substance abuse using an empirically validated                 

18  substance abuse screening tool in a 1-on-1 contact.                         

19      (c) The substance abuse professional gathers additional                     

20  information about the individual, including information gathered            

21  from a drug-screening test.                                                 

22      (d) The substance abuse professional determines the level of                

23  treatment needed and makes the appropriate referral.                        

24      (3) An individual described in section 57b shall not be                     

25  considered to have tested positive for substance abuse until the            

26  sample has been retested to rule out a false positive by gas                

27  chromatography with mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, high             

1   performance liquid chromatography, or an equally, or more,                  

2   specific test using the same sample obtained for the original               

3   test.  An individual described in section 57b who tests positive            

4   for substance abuse under this section shall agree to and                   

5   participate in substance abuse assessment and comply with a                 

6   required substance abuse treatment plan.  Failure to comply with            

7   a substance abuse assessment or treatment plan shall be penalized           

8   in the same manner as a work first program violation imposed                

9   under section 57d or 57g.  An individual is exempt from substance           

10  abuse testing authorized by this section if the individual is               

11  participating in a substance abuse rehabilitation program that              

12  the individual was ordered to participate in by a circuit court             

13  that has established procedures to expedite the closing of                  

14  criminal cases involving a crime established under part 74 of the           

15  public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7401 to 333.7461.                  

16      (4) Before implementing substance abuse testing under this                  

17  section, the family independence agency shall notify the senate             

18  and house of representatives standing committees having                     

19  jurisdiction over this act and the senate and house of                      

20  representatives appropriations subcommittees having jurisdiction            

21  over the family independence agency budget of the planned                   

22  implementation.                                                             

23      (5) If the family independence agency implements substance                  

24  abuse testing as authorized and required by this section, the               

25  family independence agency shall submit an annual report on the             

26  testing program to the senate and house of representatives                  

27  standing committees having jurisdiction over this act and the               

1   senate and house of representatives appropriations subcommittees            

2   having jurisdiction over the family independence agency budget.             

3   The annual report shall include at least all of the following               

4   information for the preceding year:                                         

5       (a) The number of individuals tested, the substances tested                 

6   for, the results of the testing, and the number of referrals for            

7   treatment.                                                                  

8       (b) The costs of the testing and the resulting treatment.                   

9       (c) Sanctions, if any, that have been imposed on recipients                 

10  as a result of the testing program.                                         

11      (d) The percentage and number of households receiving family                

12  independence assistance that include an individual who has tested           

13  positive for substance abuse under the program and that also                

14  include an individual who has been named as a perpetrator in a              

15  case classified as a central registry case under the child                  

16  protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.621 to 722.638.                        

17      (6) The substance abuse testing authorized and required by                  

18  this section does not apply to an individual 65 years old or                

19  older.