Washington Watch for Aug. 4

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Aug 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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U.S. Sen. David Vitter introduced legislation last week that would require adult welfare recipients to undergo drug testing.

Those who fail the tests would lose their eligibility to receive, or continue to receive, welfare benefits. The Louisiana Republican’s bill would require that states forfeit welfare funding unless they implement a drug-testing and treatment program for recipients.

“Drug abuse holds people back and causes extreme negative consequences,” Vitter said in a statement. “The idea that we have no system in place to determine whether welfare recipients are abusing drugs is counterproductive.”

Vitter’s bill requires that treatment be made available to anyone who tests positive for drugs. The treatment program must be completed and a recipient undergo additional testing before being once again eligible to receive benefits.

“These benefits are awarded to help individuals get back on their feet,” Vitter said. “This drug testing program will allow state officials identify people who are in need of treatment to help them achieve this goal.”

Louisiana already has a welfare drug-testing law, said Ann Williamson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Social Services.

Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a senior policy analyst for the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, said Vitter’s bill would not likely receive enough support to pass.

“This is a statement bill,” Lower-Basch said. “If you put these penalties in, people will be scared to admit it to their case worker.”

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu was ranked as the second-most centrist of her party last week, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly Magazine.

The magazine looked at 560 roll call votes during the Bush presidency on which the president took a clear position. Landrieu voted with the president 64 percent of the time. In a separate CQ analysis of 1,497 votes, Landrieu ranked third-most moderate among Democrats.

Landrieu once again split from her party last week when she stood with the “Gang of 10,” a coalition of five Democrats and five Republicans who are proposing what they call compromise energy legislation. The package calls for a balance of new drilling and conservation. Senate Democrats have opposed allowing more drilling.

In 2005, Landrieu joined the “Gang of 14,” a group of seven Democrats and seven Republicans who broke a Senate logjam on GOP judicial appointments.