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I wonder if the folks at
PSI
had a hand in getting this law passed.
PSI or Physician Services Inc. is a Phoenix area company that gets about half it's revenue from testing people for drugs. Two of their products are "TestDay" and "TestDayLite" which are software and hardware products that allow government agencies to schedule people for random drug tests. The folks that own PSI or Physician Services Inc. also own a whole bunch of other compaines such as Lab Xpress or Lab Xpress. Just for fun I should find the members of the Arizona State Legislator that sponsored this bill and the folks that voted for this bill and then back track and find all the people that gave them bribes, oops I mean campaign contributions and see if any of them are the folks that are at PSI.
Arizona Taxi drivers now subject to random drug testing Posted: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 11:31 am By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services For the first time ever, drivers of taxi cabs and limousines in Arizona will soon be subject to random drug testing. Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday signed legislation which will require those who own or lease out taxis and other vehicle for hire to screen applicants for drugs at the time they are hired or allowed to lease one of the vehicles. That is on top of an existing requirement for a criminal background check. And drivers also will be subject to random tests at least once a year. The measure takes effect later this year. Kevin Tyne, director of the Department of Weights and Measures, stressed this is not some new government program with the state going out and stopping drivers. Instead, he said it's designed to make the owners of these vehicles more responsible. But he said it is up to them to decide what to do with that information: Nothing in the new law prohibits a company from hiring or refusing to fire a driver who tests positive. That mirrors the existing laws on background checks, with no prohibition against hiring certain felons. Tyne said, though, this is a big step for Arizona. "Nearly every other jurisdiction that regulates and oversees and licenses 'for hire' vehicles like taxis and liveries and limousines have some sort of a basic drug testing requirement,'' he said. "Arizona was noticeably absent in that regard.'' He said many people use taxis and limousines, both local residents and visitors. "Patrons ought to have some basic sense that the driver has at least been drug tested,'' Tyne said. The legislation is unrelated to the mishap Saturday where five people riding in a limousine on the San Mateo Bridge south of San Francisco were killed in a fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation and there has been no indication at this point that the driver, who also was burned, was in any way responsible. California officials said it appears the vehicle, which was licensed for eight passengers, had one more than the permitted number. There appears to be no similar laws in Arizona governing how many passengers can be in any particular vehicle.
A welfare program for drug testing companies???I don't know if that is the intent, but I am sure the corporations that give drug tests will support this bill, because it will require lots of people to take mandatory drug tests.Proposed Calif. Measure Requires Doctor Drug Tests By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: May 20, 2013 at 9:08 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — A proposed state ballot measure in California would require doctors to be randomly subjected to drug and alcohol testing. The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/10PKfJP) the "Pee in the Cup" initiative is being pushed by Bob Pack, a technology mogul and former executive at AOL Inc. and NetZero Inc. His young son and daughter were killed a decade ago by a driver under the influence of alcohol and prescription pills. Pack's campaign already is armed with $2 million in funding and will launch this summer. The newspaper reports the initiative might also seek to lift the cap on damages in medical malpractice cases. The goal is to get the measure on the November 2014 ballot. A spokesperson for the California Medical Association calls the effort a "publicity stunt." ___ Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
Drug testing for California doctors?SourceDrug testing for California doctors? They’re calling it the “Pee in the Cup’’ initiative — a proposed state ballot measure that would require doctors to be randomly subjected to drug and alcohol testing, the same way bus drivers are. It’s being pushed by a tech mogul who’s on a very personal crusade to clean up the state’s medical practices. Bob Pack is a former AOL and NetZero exec whose 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were struck and killed a decade ago near their Danville home by a driver under the influence of alcohol and prescription pills. After going public with a campaign to put his kids’ killer behind bars for second-degree murder, Pack turned his attention to helping the state track patient prescriptions and spot “doctor shoppers’’ like the driver in Danville. After state funding for the effort dried up, Pack tried and failed to qualify a ballot initiative that would have taxed drug companies to pay for the tracking. Now he’s taking aim at doctors who abuse drugs themselves. He’s enlisted the help of consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfield — the guy behind the landmark 1988 measure regulating the insurance industry — and former Clinton White House adviser Chris Lehane, whose trial lawyer clients have already dropped $2 million into a campaign account. Pack and his pals are armed with a new poll showing 85 percent of California voters would be on board with random testing of physicians. They’re also touting an article in the prestigious Journal of American Medicine advocating confidential, mandatory testing. They’re looking to hit the streets this summer with either a single-issue measure or a multi-prong initiative that would also: –Lift the cap on damages in medical malpractice cases. –Change the makeup of the state Medical Board, which disciplines bad doctors, to require that a majority come from outside the medical profession. –And ensure funding for a state database to track what drugs doctors are prescribing —and if they’re being recklessly prescribed. The California Medical Association “isn’t in the business of speculating on every hypothetical, ridiculous ballot measure that is floated,’’ say spokeswoman Molly Weedn, but she calls the effort by Pack and his cohorts “nothing more than an ill-fated publicity stunt.’’ CMA claims the real goal to lift the decades-old cap on medical malpractice cases — a “money grab” by the trial lawyers that won’t fly with either the Legislature or voters. We’re told a deal is about to be announced in Sacramento, with support from the doctors, that will ensure funding for the database and reorganize the Medical Board. That could leave just malpractice awards and peeing in a cup on the November 2014 ballot. If that happens, you’re likely to see a battle royal. For more M&R, including the the surprise bill that former Oakland cops are getting from the city, read here. |