Mandatory Federal Drug Testing To Be Required For Driverâs License
The Department of Transportation, under the direction of the Obama administration, has issued several new compliance required guidelines that states must follow to keep receiving federal funding. Perhaps the most unsettling of these new requirements is one that mandates drivers submit to a yearly drug test to maintain their driving privileges. The push to require drug testing as a condition for maintaining a driverâs license has long been championed by many anti-substance abuse and automotive safety organizations. Groups such as M.A.D.D., S.A.D.D, The Coalition For Highway Safety and many others have pointed to several studies that show the number of automobile fatalities would fall significantly if such a policy were instituted. Several insurance companies have also heavily lobbied the Obama administration in favor of the requirement. It is estimated that the adoption of drug testing will save the insurance industry an estimated 480 million dollars annually, primarily due to reductions in the number of automobile accidents.  Several states have already signaled that they intend to comply with the new federal guidelines. New york, California, Washington and New Hampshire have made public commitments to adopt the new drug testing policy, citing the need for continued federal support.  Several other states have voiced concern that the Obama administration and the federal government is overstepping its bounds, and trampling on states rights with its misguided requirements. Senator Rand Paul called the move an act of âpolitical manipulationâ that seeks to use federal dollars as a cudgel to force compliance through underhanded means.  Senator John McCain lambasted the move, claiming that the unprecedented requirement could very well be unlawful. Senator McCain stated that he had been in contact with Congressman Darrell Issa regarding the matter, and that Congressman Issa planned on opening an investigation in committee when congress resumes its session.  Opposition to the program, headed by primarily Republican states, could severely diminish the net gain of federal tax dollars shifting inward from Democratic states. This would closely mirror the same states refusal of Medicare expansion that was sought by the Obama administration. Many are now speculating that the administration may reconsider, or put off implementation of the requirements, following the vicious loss dealt to the democratic agenda in the recent mid-term elections. But as of yet the new drug testing requirement is still being implemented.