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http://www.chron.com/news/article/APNewsBreak-SC-Gov-can-t-back-drug-test-claim-2177956.php
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday she can't back up claims that half of the people wanting work at the Energy Department's Savannah River Site failed drug tests and half of the remainder couldn't pass reading and writing tests.
Haley said in an interview with The Associated Press that she's learned a lesson and is going to be more careful.
"I've never felt like I had to back up what people tell me. You assume that you're given good information," Haley said. "And now I'm learning through you guys that I have to be careful before I say something."
Haley said she'd probably repeated "a million times" the story that about the test failures before being questioned about the assertions after a Lexington Rotary Club on Sept. 8. Her spokesman has been asked almost daily since then whether the claim could be substantiated.
On Monday, Haley was frustrated she couldn't document something that has shaped policy perspectives, including linking drug tests to unemployment benefits and developing skills programs.
Haley met with people at the Savannah River Site as she campaigned for governor.
"We were on the site. There were multiple people in there. And that comment that they made had a huge impact on me," Haley said. "It is the reason you're hearing me look into whether we can do drug testing. It's the reason you hear me focus so much on job training," Haley said. "Somebody can't say that and it not stick you in the gut."
And "now they're all backing off saying it. And they know they said it.," Haley said. "But now they don't have the backup."
The SRS story is now off Haley's talking point list. "I'm not going to say it anymore."
Haley used the dubious statistics to back up her own call for drug tests tied to unemployment claims.
Department of Energy spokesmen Jim Giusti said less than 1 percent of the workers hired by the Savannah River Site's primary contactor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, failed pre-employment screening tests. "We only screen people that have accepted a postion at the Savannah River Site," Giusti said. He said no other pre-employment screening is conducted before people accept jobs.
Haley's figure was far afield of figures from Quest Diagnostics, a national drug testing company that produces an annual report of pre-employment and workplace drug testing.
In 2010, less than 2 percent of pre-employment tests were positive for drugs nationally, according to a Quest report released earlier this month. Meanwhile, data from 4.5 million urine test samples shows 3.5 percent of the overall workforce tested positive for drugs after they were offered jobs but before being hired. That rate has been below 4 percent since 2006. In South Carolina, the overall failure rate was 6.5 percent.
Haley still wants drug tests tied to unemployment benefits and a revamped job skills program.
Meanwhile, Haley blamed the state Commerce Department for overstated economic development numbers. She has faced questions lately about the number of companies that would bring operations to South Carolina after a trip to France and Germany in July as well as the number of new jobs announced.
"The Commerce situation with the jobs number? That should have been a great story," Haley said. "And because Commerce gave me the wrong number, it wasn't. ... We've made them triple check and we've said: 'You give us bad numbers, somebody's getting fired."
Do the fact gaps create a credibility problem for Haley, in office since January?
"It will be if you write a story on it," Haley said with a laugh. Haley said it all should reflect she's passionate about what she's doing, including putting people back to work.
Haley is not alone in politics making unsupported claims based on conversations. Last week presidential hopeful and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann created a stir after repeating a claim that a vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer caused mental retardation. Medical experts called it inaccurate, irresponsible and dangerous.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday she can't back up claims that half of the people wanting work at the Energy Department's Savannah River Site failed drug tests and half of the remainder couldn't pass reading and writing tests.
Haley said in an interview with The Associated Press that she's learned a lesson and is going to be more careful.
"I've never felt like I had to back up what people tell me. You assume that you're given good information," Haley said. "And now I'm learning through you guys that I have to be careful before I say something."
Haley said she'd probably repeated "a million times" the story that about the test failures before being questioned about the assertions after a Lexington Rotary Club on Sept. 8. Her spokesman has been asked almost daily since then whether the claim could be substantiated.
On Monday, Haley was frustrated she couldn't document something that has shaped policy perspectives, including linking drug tests to unemployment benefits and developing skills programs.
Haley met with people at the Savannah River Site as she campaigned for governor.
"We were on the site. There were multiple people in there. And that comment that they made had a huge impact on me," Haley said. "It is the reason you're hearing me look into whether we can do drug testing. It's the reason you hear me focus so much on job training," Haley said. "Somebody can't say that and it not stick you in the gut."
And "now they're all backing off saying it. And they know they said it.," Haley said. "But now they don't have the backup."
The SRS story is now off Haley's talking point list. "I'm not going to say it anymore."
Haley used the dubious statistics to back up her own call for drug tests tied to unemployment claims.
Department of Energy spokesmen Jim Giusti said less than 1 percent of the workers hired by the Savannah River Site's primary contactor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, failed pre-employment screening tests. "We only screen people that have accepted a postion at the Savannah River Site," Giusti said. He said no other pre-employment screening is conducted before people accept jobs.
Haley's figure was far afield of figures from Quest Diagnostics, a national drug testing company that produces an annual report of pre-employment and workplace drug testing.
In 2010, less than 2 percent of pre-employment tests were positive for drugs nationally, according to a Quest report released earlier this month. Meanwhile, data from 4.5 million urine test samples shows 3.5 percent of the overall workforce tested positive for drugs after they were offered jobs but before being hired. That rate has been below 4 percent since 2006. In South Carolina, the overall failure rate was 6.5 percent.
Haley still wants drug tests tied to unemployment benefits and a revamped job skills program.
Meanwhile, Haley blamed the state Commerce Department for overstated economic development numbers. She has faced questions lately about the number of companies that would bring operations to South Carolina after a trip to France and Germany in July as well as the number of new jobs announced.
"The Commerce situation with the jobs number? That should have been a great story," Haley said. "And because Commerce gave me the wrong number, it wasn't. ... We've made them triple check and we've said: 'You give us bad numbers, somebody's getting fired."
Do the fact gaps create a credibility problem for Haley, in office since January?
"It will be if you write a story on it," Haley said with a laugh. Haley said it all should reflect she's passionate about what she's doing, including putting people back to work.
Haley is not alone in politics making unsupported claims based on conversations. Last week presidential hopeful and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann created a stir after repeating a claim that a vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer caused mental retardation. Medical experts called it inaccurate, irresponsible and dangerous.
