Amendment That Would Drug Test Elected Officials | Approved by Subcommittee
The constitutional amendment that would require all future candidates for elected office in South Carolina to pass a drug test began making its way through the legislative process Thursday.
The amendment, S.1070, gained approval from a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. State House officials say the subcommittee added judges to the list of officials that would be required to submit the results of a drug test with candidate filing papers.
Republican Senator Harvey Peeler of Cherokee says he feels the measure is common sense, because he feels elected officials are asking the public for their trust.
“If you can’t pass a drug test, you should not be in public office,” Peeler said.
The proposal came after former South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel was indicted on cocaine charges.
The bill will now go before the full Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to meet again on Tuesday.
WLTX Columbia News
2/21/2008
