AUGUSTA, Maine - In the first three months of a drug testing program for welfare recipients, enacted under the LePage administration, only 15 people have met criteria for screening. The numbers were revealed in a Freedom of Access request by The Associated Press.
The LePage administration says it would like to test more Mainers in the face of a statewide drug epidemic, but opponents say resources would be better spent elsewhere.
Though drug screening just began in April, it was an idea proposed a few years ago by Gov. Paul LePage. The Legislature included it as part of the 2012-2013 budget, with some compromises.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew says that's why only 15 people on TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - have been scheduled for tests so far. "The Legislature tied our hands in terms of the drug testing that would be allowed, limiting it to only people who have had a drug-related conviction," Mayhew says.
One person tested positive and lost their benefits. Another who tested positive is now in treatment, which Mayhew says is the goal of the program. "That is the point we've been making, is that if they test positive, they then are able to retain their benefits if they participate in treatment."
The remaining 13 didn't show up for either the drug screening or follow-up testing. And that, says Mayhew, makes them ineligible for benefits. The executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners, Robyn Merrill, says there may be legitimate reasons these TANF recipients did not follow through on testing.
"They're often single moms raising young kids on their own who face a lot of barriers," Merrill says. "Often they don't have reliable transportation, particularly in rural areas."
According to The Associated Press, the LePage administration estimates that it will ultimately screen about 100 TANF recipients total. Commissioner Mayhew says that, given the epidemic of illegal drug use in the state, testing should be expanded.
But Robyn Merrill says it would be more effective for the state to focus its resources on creating work opportunities for TANF recipients, "so that families can improve their circumstances and so that they don't need assistance and are able to find employment that allows them to provide for their families."
DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew says that's the exactly the point of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and testing is intended to bolster the integrity of the program, and also get people with addiction problems into treatment. Efforts to reach Democratic lawmakers for comment by airtime were unsuccessful.
