CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Critics say requiring West Virginia welfare recipients to pass drug tests won't produce the results supporters say they will - but a bill to do just that is before the Legislature.

Senate Bill 6 could require drug testing for some new Temporary Assistance to Needy Families clients. Its opponents have said real-world experience shows it wouldn't reduce costs or cut welfare rolls. According to federal figures, none of 12 similar programs in other states produced savings. After testing thousands of welfare recipients, the programs only found a handful of drug abusers.

Former long-time public defense lawyer Dave McMahon said the bill is based on the mistaken impression that poor people do more drugs. He said that didn't match what he saw in three decades of seeing clients who were on public assistance.

"One person who showed up apparently intoxicated on any drug. Why is that? The answer is really very straightforward," McMahon said. "They don't have any money."

With time pressure high as the legislative session nears its end, the legislation is close to final passage.

Sen. Mike Hall, R-Putnam, said he favors the bill because it could force some people who need help to get it, but he admitted it will cost more than it saves. For one thing, Hall said, people think the welfare rolls are a lot bigger than they are. He said he will sometimes ask folks about it.

" 'How many people do you think in West Virginia get a welfare check?' And they'll say, 'Three, four, 500,000,' " Hall said. "Based on the rules, it's only 6,000 to 7,000 people."

Studies have found that the rate of drug abuse for people on assistance is similar to that of the general population. Given that, said Lida Shepherd, program director for the Appalachian Center for Equality youth leadership program in Logan County. the state could better spend its time and money expanding drug treatment. She says that would do more for the families of the young people she sees in the coalfields.

"In one instance, one of their parents was struggling with drugs," she said. "They had to travel all the way to Huntington to access services. We should be pursuing more drug-recovery centers, access to higher education."

Track SB 6 at legis.state.wv.us.


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Last week, Senate Republicans unveiled reduced cuts to food assistance programs in their version of the budget bill.

The proposal from Senate Republicans cuts $211 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The reduction is $80 billion less than what was passed by House Republicans, but the program's supporters say even reduced cuts would still impact access to SNAP - formerly Food Stamps - around the nation.

Cassie Edner, public benefits attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said a focus on error rates in SNAP -- the rate of people being overpaid or underpaid for benefits -- is encouraging lawmakers to make it harder to get benefits or deny them altogether.

"There's an incentive to improperly deny and improperly terminate," said Edner. "There's an incentive to request more verifications, which is going to increase that cost of the administration share. And it's just going to make benefits harder to access in Virginia for people that are eligible, and it's going to increase denials for things like verification, not eligibility reasons."

While Republicans in the Senate have taken a smaller axe to the budget than their counterparts in the House, a majority still support efforts to cut government spending and provide tax cuts to wealthy Americans.

If the bill is passed and states must contribute more to SNAP, Edner said, that could mean higher taxes or cuts to benefits throughout Virginia.

"So this creates uncertainty with the program," said Edner. "We don't know what cuts are going to be made. We don't know if there's going to be an increase in taxes to cover these expenses. But something's gonna happen to have to cover these costs or either cut benefits. There's just uncertainty as to what that is."

More than 800,000 Virginians received SNAP benefits between October 2023 and September 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

A new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives could make it easier for people to get job training while they're receiving federal food assistance.

It's hopeful news for the more than 800,000 Virginians receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The last Farm Bill made a change that allowed people getting SNAP benefits to pursue paid job training - but their wages for that training were counted against their monthly benefit amount, reducing or even ending their food assistance.

Leah Bacon, director of investment advocacy at the Center for Employment Opportunities, said this "unintended consequence" meant people had to choose between SNAP benefits and job training opportunities.

"For far too long, people have really had to make an impossible decision - to either put food on the table for themselves and their families, or invest in their future through workforce development," said Bacon. "That really can't be the status quo."

Supporters say the legislation would ensure people in temporary, paid job-training programs won't lose access to SNAP benefits. It has bipartisan support in Congress.

Bacon said the legislation could also affect people who've recently reentered society from prison.

An estimated 60% of people are unemployed for a year or more after their release - and they experience food insecurity at twice the rate of the general public.

"People need immediate stability, and by offering access to a paying job and food security - through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," said Bacon, "these are really key ways in ensuring that people have the right tools as they transition back into society."

The bill was introduced in late April and is in the House Committee on Agriculture.




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Today is National Caregivers Day, recognizing those who help friends or family members who are living with an illness, injury or disability.

A 2024 report painted a picture of Montanans who rely on public assistance, a picture largely populated by caregivers.

The report, commissioned by the Headwaters Foundation, found about one in four Montana families, or 120,000, received income-based public assistance in a given year after Medicaid expansion. It noted most are working families with children, or family members who are older or disabled.

Bryce Ward, founder of ABMJ Consulting, compiled the report.

"It's not hard to imagine how they got into this situation," Ward pointed out. "They're just low-income workers or the people for whom it's hard to work. They're old or disabled, or they have kids or other caregiving responsibilities."

Medicaid expansion is getting a lot of attention in the current Montana Legislature. House Bill 245, which would continue the program beyond its original June sunset date, was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Claims yesterday after passing the House earlier this month.

A big takeaway from the report is there is no "typical" participant in public assistance and many who need it use it for brief time periods. Ward cautioned conversations in the policy and media spaces can have what he called a "dehumanizing element." He hopes the report will change it.

"These populations include all the different types of people in Montana," Ward stressed. "You probably know lots of people who have, or are on, income-based public assistance."

The median family of three with income around the poverty line receives about $400 a month in benefits, according to the report.


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