WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) has introduced a new bill that would drug test wealthy people who want to claim deductions on their taxes.
The "Top 1% Accountability Act of 2016" would require anyone claiming itemized deductions over $150,000 to submit to a drug test. Rep. Moore says her bill comes in the wake of several nationwide efforts to drug test social welfare recipients.
"It deeply offends me that there is such a deep stigma surrounding those who depend on government benefits, especially as a former welfare recipient," Congresswoman Moore said in a statement. "Sadly, Republicans across the country continue to implement discriminatory policies that criminalize the less fortunate and perpetuate false narratives about the most vulnerable among us."
While it's extremely unlikely the bill will pass in a GOP-led Congress, Moore said she hopes her bill will get people talking about how working and middle-class families get by.
"The notion that those battling poverty are somehow more susceptible to substance abuse is as absurd as it is offensive," she said. "If anything, our nation’s opioid crisis continues to underscore how substance addiction knows no social, racial, or economic distinctions."
