It isn't difficult to find people who support the idea of drug testing for people getting public assistance. Their position is: the people getting that assistance are getting their tax dollars.

"If they're on welfare, they're taking money from the taxpayers," says supporter Becky Lingo. "I feel they should be able to do that drug test on them."

"If you're getting help like that," says Ken Dooley, another supporter, "you should have something like that done."

The other objective, in the bill championed by Delegate Craig Blair, is that it encourages recipients to stay drug-free. But opponents say it also makes their private problems public.

"I know there's a lot of drugs," says Mary Beha, "and there's a lot of people who use drugs. But I don't think they want to broadcast it."

The state agency which oversees most of those public assistance programs, also has a position on the legislation.

"The Department of Health and Human Resources hopes that, in making the public policy decisions on this bill, legislators look closely at the fact that, you are really just testing people in this instance because they are poor," says agency spokesman John Law, "and because they receive some kind of state benefit."

And one thing to remember: just because the bill is one of hundreds introduced in the legislature in this session, that doesn't mean it's going to pass.

"I don't believe it will ever pass; I really don't," Dooley admits. "We hope, but I don't think that will happen".

The first law of this kind was enacted ten years ago by the State of Michigan. A federal court struck it down a few years later.