CARSON CITY -- Nevada would begin mandatory drug testing of most new state employees under terms of a proposal that state Personnel Director Jeanne Greene is submitting to the 2007 Legislature.
If the plan is approved, the state would make conditional job offers to employees contingent on them passing a drug test.
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Employees not presently covered under Department of Personnel rules, including elected officials, legislative and judicial branch workers, and college and university professors and top management, would be exempt.
Currently, Nevada requires drug tests for state jobs that involve public safety or require a commercial driver's license.
Greene said Wednesday the proposal will bring the state into line with a growing trend in the private sector, citing statistics that most large private employers use drug screening. The department is working on a survey of public employers that use drug screening, but it is not yet complete.
"We're one of the very few entities that does not do drug testing," said Greene. "We are finding that employees that are not able to pass a drug test for other entities are coming to the state."
Aldo Vennettilli of the State of Nevada Employees Association said he has discussed the proposal with Greene and doesn't oppose pre-employment drug testing.
Greene estimated the cost of the testing to be $100,000 per year.
Greene said the testing could save the state a lot of money because workers with drug problems end up costing employers a great deal.
