Rep. Clay Higgins, the onetime captain in the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office who rose to fame with a series of tough-talking videos, has introduced a bill to get Congress to clean up its act: random drug screenings.
“I have observed some behavior that would cause one to wonder,” said the Louisiana Republican. “Elected officials in Washington, D.C., should be subject to the same kind of random drug screenings that blue-collar, working-class Americans have to endure.”
Lawmakers would reimburse taxpayer money spent to screen them for drugs. And any member who tested positive would immediately be reported to the Ethics Committee, per Higgins’ legislation.
“Congress shouldn’t get to live by a different set of rules,” he said. “This effort is about maintaining accountability and ensuring sober service to the people.”
Democrats back home in Louisiana dismissed the proposal as a gimmick to cover for legislative inaction.
The bill has no co-sponsors.