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Committee hears strong opposition to bill requiring drug tests before unsupervised parent–child visits
Summary
Law enforcement, child‑welfare directors and public‑defense counsel warned against a bill that would mandate drug testing before unsupervised visitation in cases where a controlled substance contributed to out‑of‑home placement, citing vagueness, cost, access and constitutional concerns.
The Senate Human Services Committee heard extended opposition testimony to House Bill 12 68, a proposal that would require drug testing before unsupervised parent–child visits in child‑welfare cases where a controlled substance contributed to removal.
Travis Fink, executive director of the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, told the committee the bill, as drafted, is vague about what chemical tests would be required and what test methods would satisfy the obligation. “This bill does not identify what that testing would be,” Fink said, warning that different tests (urine, blood, hair) measure different exposure windows and raise different legal and constitutional issues. Fink also expressed…
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