HB458 will require the Hawai'i Social Services Department conduct a study to determine whether Hawai'i should drug test recipients of public assistance.
Salon calls drug testing of welfare recipients "An inane, money-eating sham" and a "failure".
Since drug testing folks on public assistance is a huge boon to drug testing corporations yet produces statistically insignificant positive results, the question leaps to mind:
Did the sponsors of this bill receive donations from drug testing companies?
Let's take them one at a time.
Rep Mele Carroll(D) from Hana, East Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i, famous for her anti-marriage equality comments more or less calling everyone in her district supporting equality carpet-baggers and f---ing haoles, hasn't filed her disclosures since 2012. Her November 2012 disclosure shows three contributors:
Rep Karen Awana (D) from Oahu, is equally famous for her equally insulting speech against marriage equality What do you know? The same two lobbyists show up on Rep Awana's disclosure.
Rep Ken Ito (D) from Oahu is another opponent of marriage equality who got contributions from the same two lobbyists.
Rep John Mizuno(D) Oahu who is famous for introducing the "track every page every person views on the Internet" bill also received donations from these two lobbyists. At the time Mizuno introduced his Internet spy bill, he was unaware that the NSA had this covered.
Scott Nishimoto (D) Oahu who reports contributions from Morris but not Radcliffe.
Rep Takashi Ohno (D) Oahu who doesn't appear to have received these lobbyist donations.
Rep Daynette Morikawa (D) Kaua'i who only reports Syngenta donations
Rep Tom Brower (D) from Oahu who seems only to have received lobbyist donations from developers and tobacco corporations.
Rep Mark Takai (D) from Oahu seems only to have recieved lobbyist donations from Virginia defense lobbyist Peduzzi, Lawrence Peter
You can comment on this bill if and when it gets a hearing next session by watching its status or by emailing the sponsors directly.
One has to wonder whether lobbyists Radcliffe and Morris have drug testing companies for clients. And one also has to wonder why these representatives didn't do even the most rudimentary google to find out what a wasteful program drug testing is.
With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans?