Senate Passes Candidate Voluntary Drug Testing Bill

Filed Under Caucus, Top News, Peeler

Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Senate today passed the Candidate Voluntary Drug Testing Program (S.1070). The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Senator Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee), provides guidelines for candidates to follow when submitting the results of a drug test with their candidate filing papers. The State Election Commission will publish the candidates full name, the office sought and the results of the test on its website, which will be available thirty days prior to the election and remain on the website for ninety days after the election.

“Today’s action is what I have been working for since I introduced the bill, and that is to have a system in place that allows candidates the opportunity to show the public they are drug free,” says Senator Peeler. “As potential candidates for office join this effort we will start to restore some of the trust that has been lost due to the unfortunate and irresponsible actions of a few.”

Prior to final passage of the bill, Senator Peeler offered a clarifying amendment that requires the testing be done by a physician and through a laboratory certified under the National Laboratory Certification Program to be considered valid. The drug test must screen for illegal substances commonly screened for individuals who perform safety sensitive functions for example commercial drivers.

The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

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