LANSING, MI - Michigan lawmakers are considering a suspicion-based drug testing program for some welfare recipients, and it's raising questions about who else should be subject to that type of monitoring.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, opposes the plan that passed the House last week and is now pending in the Senate. But Tlaib says if the state is going to require drug testing for cash assistance recipients, lawmakers also should be screened for illegal substances.

"We're all being paid through public, taxpayer dollars – just like the taxpayer dollars that are paying for public assistance for needy families," Tlaib said. "I think that we should be held to the same standards that we ask from some of our poor families."

Tlaib's amendment to the welfare bill, which would have required state lawmakers to be tested for illegal drugs as a condition of holding office, was dismissed without a vote.

Tlaib said it would be interesting to see how lawmakers would vote, given the chance. But Ari Adler, a spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, says the issue is more complex than that.

"When it comes to lawmakers, their bosses are the voters," Adler said. "If there is a suspicion or a problem with drug use by a lawmaker, then that's for the voters to take up with them each time they enter the voting booth."

Adler said it's possible there could be legal issues with requiring drug tests for lawmakers.

The House-approved bill calls for a program of suspicion-based substance abuse screening and testing for Family Independence Program applicants and recipients. It would not apply to food assistance programs.

If the screening provides a reasonable suspicion to believe the applicant or recipient has been using illegal drugs, a test would be required. Failing the test or refusing to take it would make an applicant or recipient ineligible for the benefits. A person denied benefits could reapply to the program after a certain period.

The testing would start as a pilot program but eventually would go statewide.

Supporters say the program is designed to make sure tax dollars are used efficiently, and aren't misused to buy illegal drugs. Some supporters note that many job applicants are required to pass drug tests as a condition of employment.

Opponents of testing welfare applicants say the plan could unfairly penalize children for their parents' drug use.

Email Tim Martin at tmartin4@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TimMartinMI