Let’s drug test lawmakers

COLUMBUS

I like it when lawmakers get creative.

I don’t mean in the accounting sense, where they come up with lengthy nonsense explanations for perpetuating irresponsible spending, but in the legislative sense, where they ink interesting bills to solve some real or imagined problem with state law.

I mean bills that get people talking about how smart or crazy their elected officials and/or our society have become.

Sometimes, these bills are not-so-subtle attempts to gain favor with voters back home — designating the official state barbecue contest or the official state children’s book author or creating a new state license plate, for example.

Other times, they come in response to outrageous crimes or incidents, like the pervert in the Columbus area who can’t stop himself from attempting to collect and drink children’s urine. When lawmakers found out there wasn’t a crime on the books to deal with that issue, they passed one.

And then there are the bills that are introduced in protest to legislation being pushed by whatever party is in control.

Drug testing

A couple of bills announced last week at the Statehouse fall into that category, both offered by Democrats in response to Republican attempts to require welfare recipients to undergo drug testing and forced treatment in order to continue receiving their benefits.

Republicans say the change is needed to ensure public funding isn’t being given to people who use it to feed their addictions.

“Hard working taxpayers of the State of Ohio should not have to pay for the drug habits of illegal drug users,” Sen. Tim Grendell, who plans to introduce one of the welfare drug testing bills, said in a released statement. “This assistance from the state is for those who need these funds for food and shelter, not illegal drugs.”

That didn’t sit right with Democrats, who announced plans of to introduce bills of their own requiring drug testing of state lawmakers as well.

Rep. Bob Hagan, from Youngstown, and Sen. Nina Turner, from Cleveland, both plan to offer the latter.

Hagan’s bill would require drug and alcohol testing, and state elected officials caught with illicit substances could face removal from office.

Turner’s bill would implement random drug testing of lawmakers, with checks conducted once per year. Successful passage would be required in order for legislators to receive their paychecks.

“As members of the General Assembly we have a great deal of responsibility,” Turner said in a released statement. “Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent based on legislation that we pass. Elected officials should be held to same level of accountability as a single mother receiving food stamps.”

Whether you agree with their stances or the necessity for such changes to state law is irrelevant.

It’s these types of bills — and, unfortunately, not the state budget, criminal sentencing reform and other more important matters — that prompt Ohioans to stand around water coolers and coffee pots and talk about what’s going on in Columbus.

And it’s these types of bills that prompt some Ohioans to become more engaged in state governance, whether to support such efforts or to counter the craziness on Capitol Square.

Marc Kovac is the Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.