If you want to get on welfare in Michigan, prepare to pee in a cup.

Earlier this week, the Michigan House voted to pass some controversial legislation that would mandate that some welfare recipients pass a drug screen, as well as make sure their children get to school in order to keep their welfare benefits.

While those that support the bill say it is intended to help break the poverty circle by assisting drug users in locating treatment options, critics believe these measures are just another way to pick on low-income families.

If the bill is passed, any “reasonable suspicion” that a welfare recipient may be using illicit substances will be required to pass a drug test before continuing to receive welfare benefits. Screenings would begin next April, but it has not yet been determined which counties will be used to test the program.

However, this is not the first time Michigan has implemented a welfare drug testing program. In 1999, a pilot program was put in to place, but was terminated after a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

What do you think – should welfare recipients be required to pass a drug test and keep their children in school in order to maintain their benefits?

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