{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s806-114/featured_drug-free-commercial-driver-act-of-2015-1454548534.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s806-114/featured_large_drug-free-commercial-driver-act-of-2015-1454548534.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s806-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-03-19","title_override":"Allowing Trucking Companies to Use Hair Testing for Drug Screens","summary_override":"This bill would revise regulations that require motor carriers (i.e. trucking companies) to conduct testing for controlled substances or alcohol use by motor vehicle operators during pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident screenings.

Motor carriers would be allowed to use hair testing as an acceptable alternative to urinalysis for detecting use of controlled substances by individuals, but only for pre-employment and random testing. Under current law, urinalysis is the only testing method available to be used in the commercial trucking industry.

The Secretary of Transportation would be required to develop requirements for laboratories and testing procedures for controlled substances, including mandatory guidelines that establish laboratory protocols and cut-off levels for hair testing to detect the use of such substances.

If a motor carrier shows that it can carry out a hair testing program that is consistent with generally accepted industry standards, it would be allowed to apply to the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for exemption from mandatory urinalysis testing. The Administrator would need to determine if the applicant’s program is similar to those used by motor carriers who have had similar programs for at least one year.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services would be directed to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing as a method for detecting the use of controlled substances.

","official_title":"A bill to amend section 31306 of title 49, United States Code, to recognize hair as an alternative specimen for preemployment and random controlled substances testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers and for other purposes.","short_title":"Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2015 \n\n (Sec. 2) This bill revises regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol.\n\nMotor carriers may use hair testing as an acceptable alternative to urinalysis for detecting use of controlled substances by individuals, but only for preemployment testing and random testing.\n\nThe Department of Transportation shall develop requirements for laboratories and testing procedures for controlled substances that include mandatory guidelines that establish, among other things, laboratory protocols and cut-off levels for hair testing to detect the use of such substances.\n\n(Sec. 3) A motor carrier that demonstrates it can carry out a hair testing program consistent with generally accepted industry standards may apply to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for exemption from mandatory urinalysis ...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Employees of motor carriers, motor carriers, the HHS Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Health and Human Services.","argument_for":"Hair testing is more effective than urinalysis because of its longer detection period, and allowing trucking companies to widely adopt it as a testing method would make the roads safer.","argument_against":"While it may be more effective, hair testing is also more intrusive than urinalysis and doesn’t take into account recent lifestyle changes that the subject of the test has made. 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Believer in the power of an informed populace using smart tools at the right time. @Countable founder.","twitter_id":"bartolah","facebook_id":"bartmyers","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":"","website":"","slug":"bart","issue_count":58,"is_following":null,"influence_score":76005,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1990,"following_count":943,"position_count":55,"id":"0emQpZxM","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"158611fc-14e1-4ffc-994f-df1f7056c3b1","argument_for":"It makes sense to use the most accurate form of testing. Do police officers and government officials take the same test?","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":1,"upvotes_for_count":1,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":1,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/158611fc-14e1-4ffc-994f-df1f7056c3b1"},"body":"It makes sense to use the most accurate form of testing. 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Allowing Trucking Companies to Use Hair Testing for Drug Screens