After waiting until the final day, Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 772 into law today, a bill which allows for the drug testing of recipients of Food Stamp benefits. The Libertarian Party of Georgia stands with the American Civil Liberties Union in firmly and wholly denouncing this legislation as unconstitutional. Beyond that, the basis of the law is steeped in racism and in the nonexistent stereotype of the “welfare queen” using drugs all day and trading food stamps for money.
The Libertarian Party of Georgia will not stand idly by as unconstitutional and racist legislation passes through the General Assembly and is then signed into law by the Governor. As Libertarians, we support the premise of private charity and reject the notion of public welfare in nearly all circumstances. Our stand against this legislation is not a stand in support of the Food Stamp program, it is a firm rejection of the further erosion of 4th Amendment rights, a rejection of the very premise that because an individual is receiving public assistance that it is acceptable to expose them to humiliating searches without probable cause, based upon the suspicions of someone who is not trained to correctly assess whether an individual is using drugs.
While the concern is mostly one of civil liberty and government overreach, it is also noteworthy that Florida utilized a very similar law, which found only 2.6% of tested individuals on public assistance were using illegal substances. It is also noteworthy that Florida’s welfare drug testing law has been struck down in Federal Court.
Doug Craig, Chairman of the Board of Libertarian Party of Georgia, had this to say about Governor Deal’s signage of HB 772: “We vehemently oppose drug testing welfare recipients. Libertarians generally are against welfare… However, if we are going to start drug testing welfare recipients, let’s start with the Board of Directors at General Motors.”
The Official Position of the Libertarian Party: “Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records.” http://www.lp.org/platform
