My Position on HB 772:
Initially, I did not consider drug testing for food stamps as such a distressing notion. However, after reading the bill and speaking to the sponsor of the bill I changed my mind. I oppose HB 772, because it is an injustice to people in need. This bill will not only place a hideous stigma on a vulnerable group of people, but it discriminates. HB 772 has provisions to protect children, but that provision does not offer real protection or guarantee that children would have food to eat. Moreover, this bill does not protect those suffering from a dreadful disease—drug addiction. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2012), addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her. In my opinion, drug addiction is a mental disability; therefore as a future social worker, I feel it is my responsibility to help protect this group of cohorts. No matter if drug addicts or not are on food stamps, I do not think that should be a reason for individuals or families to be denied food stamps. I am reminded of my ethical responsibility through the NASW code of ethics section 6.04 (d) Social and Political Action states:
“Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability" (NASW, 2008).
“Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability" (NASW, 2008).
Social Justice?
Representative Morris (R-156th) stated, “Entitlement programs oppresses people, they do not allow people to have the freedom they need to be successful, House Bill 772 is ‘common sense’ legislation and it makes people take accountability for their actions, and allow people to take responsibility for their well-being (Personal Interview, 2014). Promoting social justice is not pointing blame or placing judgment on others, it is about helping those who are in need. Representative Morris values reflect rugged individualism, “Pull one’s self up by your boot straps.” Therefore, Representative Morris’s bill—HB 772, does not promote social justice for any groups.
Personal Values:
If I had to implement this bill in the field, I would have a difficult time following policy, because I have a strong sense of integrity and unconditional positive regard for other people—especially those that are in need. I believe in providing others with the right for self-determination; not kicking a person while they are at their lowest. In my opinion, HB 772 is a form of “bullying,” because this bill does not promote social justice, self-determination, or provides people with a sense of dignity—it strips them of that. Therefore HB 772 goes against my personal values—treating others with integrity and humility.
HB 772: A Solution or Problem
Georgia House Bill 772 is solution in search of a problem, because there is no evidence to support the proposed problem that individuals on food stamps are using their benefits to purchase controlled substances. Nevertheless, Georgia has a backlog problem of about 30,000 food stamp applications that need to be addressed, and this shows that DFCS do not see clients in person very often. If people are using the internet and phones to apply and recertify how would caseworkers be able to determine who is on drugs and who is not. Therefore, if I could modify HB 772, I would not, because there is no supporting evidence to support the problem that the sponsor feel he is trying to resolve. I would do away with the bill in its entirety, and focus on updating Georgia’s DFCS system to get the backlog problem fixed.
Unintended Consequences (My Opinion):
If HB 772 is implemented into law, there will be unintended consequences that the state will encounter such as children, the homeless, individuals with mental illness, and individuals with life-threatening diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Cancer, and several host of diseases that make a person enervated. With the “reasonable suspicion” criteria, many of the above-mentioned cohorts will face discrimination based off their appearance due to their living situations or medications.
In the bill there are provisions to protect children, although children will not be denied food stamps, if their parent(s) or legal guardian do not pass the drug test someone will have to be approved to obtain the food stamps on behalf of the children. There are no provisions to ensure that the food stamps will go directly to the children or the length of time the children will be without food until a suitable individual is found.
There are no provisions protecting the homeless or chronically homeless. With the “reasonable suspicion” criteria, the homeless will be under much scrutiny due to their appearance, and lack of accessibility to housing. In the state of Georgia has estimated that there are over 20,000 individuals in the state, and about 29,198 homeless families (Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2009. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness (2010), Georgia has 500,000 children living in poverty, and twelve out of every one hundred (12%) are homeless. Although the bill have a provision that supposed to protect children, however the children that are in homeless families would not have another person to obtain food stamps for them, so this leave this population of children unprotected.
In the bill, there are provisions that will protect individuals that who are physically, mentally, or developmentally disabled from drug testing only if they live in a nursing home, personal care home, assisted living community, intermediate care facility, and host home. There are no provisions to protect those that are in the home of a personal care provider or legal guardian. There are no provisions for individuals who are living with a mental illness and are on medications. Ellyn Jeager of Mental Health of Georgia is opposed to HB 772; she argued that the “reasonable suspicion” criterion is flawed. She stated, “Psychiatric medication can make a person with mental illness ‘look stoned,’ that does not mean they are addicts (Miller, 2014).
In the bill there are provisions to protect children, although children will not be denied food stamps, if their parent(s) or legal guardian do not pass the drug test someone will have to be approved to obtain the food stamps on behalf of the children. There are no provisions to ensure that the food stamps will go directly to the children or the length of time the children will be without food until a suitable individual is found.
There are no provisions protecting the homeless or chronically homeless. With the “reasonable suspicion” criteria, the homeless will be under much scrutiny due to their appearance, and lack of accessibility to housing. In the state of Georgia has estimated that there are over 20,000 individuals in the state, and about 29,198 homeless families (Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2009. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness (2010), Georgia has 500,000 children living in poverty, and twelve out of every one hundred (12%) are homeless. Although the bill have a provision that supposed to protect children, however the children that are in homeless families would not have another person to obtain food stamps for them, so this leave this population of children unprotected.
In the bill, there are provisions that will protect individuals that who are physically, mentally, or developmentally disabled from drug testing only if they live in a nursing home, personal care home, assisted living community, intermediate care facility, and host home. There are no provisions to protect those that are in the home of a personal care provider or legal guardian. There are no provisions for individuals who are living with a mental illness and are on medications. Ellyn Jeager of Mental Health of Georgia is opposed to HB 772; she argued that the “reasonable suspicion” criterion is flawed. She stated, “Psychiatric medication can make a person with mental illness ‘look stoned,’ that does not mean they are addicts (Miller, 2014).
Ethical
Strengths/Weakness of HB 772:
After reviewing the NASW code of ethics, I started to dissect House Bill 772 in search of any ethical strengths of the bill; I found there is none. In my opinion as a future social worker this bill do in fact infringe on the rights of people needing public assistance by not providing service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, or integrity. In my opinion, the entire bill is ethically weak; HB 772 does not address a social problem because there is no evidence to support that a problem exists. The bill is a social injustice to individuals that are in need of assistance for food, which does not promote their dignity or worth—if any, this bill places negative stigma on individuals who are on food stamps. Overall, HB 772 is a new form of oppression to those who are in need, because those seeking assistance will either not seek help or just accept the scrutiny of those in power to make the decision whether they will be able to eat or not. Ethically this bill goes against what the NASW code of ethics represents.
The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers preamble states, “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (NASW, 2008). It also states, “The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence” (NASW, 2008).
The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers preamble states, “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (NASW, 2008). It also states, “The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence” (NASW, 2008).
Ethical Dilemmas of Implementing HB 772:
On April 29, 2014, Governor Deal signed HB 772, which is now Act 664 with an effective date of July 1, 2014. Once HB 772 (Act 664) is implemented, there will be ethical dilemmas such as commitment to clients, interruption of services, and termination of services that social work professionals will have to endure. Although many caseworkers in the Georgia Department of Human Services do not hold a social work degree, however in the public and community eye they are label as that—social worker. Therefore, these caseworkers will face ethical dilemmas in regards to drug testing individuals under reasonable suspicion of drug use, offering no assistance with payments towards paying for the drug test, and not helping the individuals who are drug addicts seek treatment versus following policy guidelines for their department. Having to abide by the policy guidelines of the department could establish mistrust between client and caseworker and/or social worker.
It is the social worker’s responsibility to build a relationship with a client to provide the best possible care for the individual. Honesty is important in social work, and caseworkers and/or social workers must maintain open and honest communication with their client(s). I truly believe that as a social worker in order to remain committed to a client you must be honest concerning all aspects of the relationship you have with a client. In my opinion in order to provide, culturally competent social work practice a social worker must remember the first ethical standard (1.01 Commitment to Clients) of the NASW Code of Ethics, which states: “Social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the wellbeing of clients. In general, clients’ interests are primary. However, social workers’ responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised” (NASW, 2008).
It is the social worker’s responsibility to build a relationship with a client to provide the best possible care for the individual. Honesty is important in social work, and caseworkers and/or social workers must maintain open and honest communication with their client(s). I truly believe that as a social worker in order to remain committed to a client you must be honest concerning all aspects of the relationship you have with a client. In my opinion in order to provide, culturally competent social work practice a social worker must remember the first ethical standard (1.01 Commitment to Clients) of the NASW Code of Ethics, which states: “Social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the wellbeing of clients. In general, clients’ interests are primary. However, social workers’ responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised” (NASW, 2008).
The Learning Process of the Ethics of Policy Making during the 2014-2015 Session:
During the legislation session of 2014, I discovered that ethics of policymaking in the state of Georgia is based upon party lines. Before I conducted my interview with my community House Representative, Dar’Shun Kendrick, I attended a Town hall meeting that she hosted for the residents of Gwinnett County. Representative Kendrick (D-93rd) gave an overview of what was going on under the “gold dome,” and the details of what goes on behind those doors. She explained to the group that the political parties do work together to get a job done, but reminded us, that Georgia is a Conservative state, therefore if a Democrat like herself, was to present a bill it will not make it very far unless it serves a “certain” purpose for the other party. She explained that there are "some Republicans, who pass bills off as their own, sometimes taking some great bills that are introduced in a previous session that was created by a Democrat." She said this is "legal to do so, so it happens more than the public realizes." She also stated that "many of the bills are not” truly” looked at but depending on who sponsored it, then it would determine how far it goes." After this meeting, and observing this year’s legislative session, I determined that ethics has nothing to do with policymaking; it is all about what is critical to the political party in charge.
Participation in the Legislative Process:
My overall experience participating in the 2014 legislative process was intriguing, stimulating, inspiring, and exhilarating—EXCITING! Over the years, I have purposefully avoided anything political, because I was ignorant to the process. However, this semester I jumped into this process with both feet and eyes wide open, with an open mind. I am so appreciative of the opportunities to speak to my representatives and many others who are involved in the process and learn from them. I feel more educated about politics, and more passionate about advocating. I am using my Facebook page for a way to advocate my peers about voting, the legislative process, and keeping others informed about what is going on politically not only on the State level, but Federally as well.
Over the course of the semester, I maintained a blog called Bureaucratically Incomplete (click here to view my blog), although I started the blog as an assignment, I have now used my blog as a tool to keep my peers in my community informed about politics. As a future social worker, I now understand the importance of knowing what is going on in the government because how can we stay competent in practice if we avoid legislation—we cannot provide social justice by remaining ignorant. I do realize that the legislative process is complex and demanding, therefore I have a found respect for all those that work in legislation—State and Federally.
Over the course of the semester, I maintained a blog called Bureaucratically Incomplete (click here to view my blog), although I started the blog as an assignment, I have now used my blog as a tool to keep my peers in my community informed about politics. As a future social worker, I now understand the importance of knowing what is going on in the government because how can we stay competent in practice if we avoid legislation—we cannot provide social justice by remaining ignorant. I do realize that the legislative process is complex and demanding, therefore I have a found respect for all those that work in legislation—State and Federally.