Jack Harper

Sen. Dean Martin, R-6, this year proposed that he, his fellow legislators and certain others be permitted to practice law without going to law school if they passed the Bar exam.
His list included those who have worked in a law office or with a judge, those who have studied law at a correspondence law school, anyone who has been in the Legislature and professional staff members.
In the 2005 legislative session, Sen. Bill Brotherton, D-14, came up with a proposed tongue-in-check constitutional amendment that would have required a person to have passed the AIMS high school graduation competency test to be eligible to serve in the Legislature.
Under the would-be Senate resolution, a legislative candidate would have had to take and pass such a test — and pay for it — and make the results public at least four weeks before the primary election.
Now, another senator is proposing a different test for prospective legislators — a drug test.
“I think the public should know whether or not candidates for the Legislature are experimenting with drugs,” said Sen. Jack Harper, R-4.
Mr. Harper says he intends to draft a bill calling for the testing or a referendum to put the matter before the voters in a special election in November 2007.
“That will shed some light on the quality of candidates for the Legislature,” he said.
Mr. Harper’s notion is to require candidates to submit the results of their drug screenings to the Secretary of State’s Office before turning in their nominating petitions.
“The results of each drug test will not disqualify for office, but will be posted on the SOS Web site,” he said, adding that the drugs to be screened for “haven’t been determined.”
Mr. Harper said he had no suspicions that any legislators were taking illegal drugs.
“We have been testing for public safety,” he said. “Why shouldn’t the 90 people who are making laws show that they’re not above the law?”
Said Mr. Brotherton, “I think Jack’s an example that just because you’re drug free doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing.”