Ted Cruz: “I rise today to commend the Senate for taking up legislation that I have introduced, along with my colleague in the…”

“I rise today to commend the Senate for taking up legislation that I have introduced, along with my colleague in the House, Chairman Kevin Brady, to reverse yet another instance of Executive overreach by the Obama administration. H.J. Res. 42 passed the House 236 to 189, with support on both sides of the aisle, including nearly unanimous Republican support, and I urge my colleagues in this Chamber to swiftly approve this legislation and to send it to the President's desk for his signature. In the bipartisan Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Congress permitted but did not require States to assess State unemployment compensation or insurance program applicants for drug usage under two circumstances: workers who had been discharged from their last job because of unlawful drug use and workers looking for jobs in occupations where applicants and employees are subject to drug testing. The unemployment insurance program is designed to facilitate swift reemployment by requiring applicants to be able to work and actively seek employment in order to be eligible. The 2012 job creation act noted that if a worker lost a job due to drug usage, that worker would have established him- or herself as not being fully able or available to work. Further, under appropriate State-level programs, States could choose to restrict benefits for individuals who fail drug tests as well as to design programs to help them overcome their drug use and become work- ready.…”