To: The Colorado State House and The Colorado State Senate
HB 1046 Ignores Reasons for Poverty
Individuals and families caught in a cycle of poverty should be treated with respect and dignity. Assistance to people who have exhausted all resources should not be faced with arbitrary roadblocks of no proven benefit. Stop HB 1046.
Why is this important?
HB 1046 would require drug testing for Colorado Works Program applicants. This bill assumes that a primary cause of poverty is poor character. and that individuals and families needing help are not to be trusted. A similar law in Florida was thrown out in Federal Court in October 2011 because it amounted to unreasonable search and seizure. The judge further chided lawmakers for ignoring an 'overwhelming body of case law.' Costs for the program in Florida were high with no discernible benefit.