4232
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg
Jan 17, 2012
Republican Kip Smith, a state representative from Georgia who sponsored a bill that would have submitted welfare recipients to random drug testing, was arrested in Atlanta the night of Jan. 13 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The right-wing political leader was pulled over in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood after running a red light on his way home from a restaurant, reported Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News.
According to the report, the arresting officer said he could smell the odor of alcohol emanating from Smith’s car when he walked over to ask to see his license. Smith first refused to take a breathalyzer test, but once it was explained to him that he would be arrested, he started the sobriety test, which he had trouble completing, according to the complaint filed against him.
Smith first blew a .091, and later a .100 and a .099, all above the legal limit of .08. He also failed a “walk-and-turn” test and a “one-leg-stand” field sobriety test.
The controversial bill that Smith sponsored would have required all welfare recipients to submit to random, annual drug tests. Those who failed the tests would have been cut off from public assistance.
Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb has now submitted legislation that would instead require all state lawmakers to undergo random drug testing.
