Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst are calling for support on a bill that will be introduced in the next legislative session. The bill aims at drug-screening all applicants of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

"Texas taxpayers will not subsidize or tolerate illegal drug abuse. Every dollar that goes to someone who uses it inappropriately is a dollar that can't go to a Texan who needs it for housing, child care or medicine," said Perry in a press conference.

Several people in El Paso agreed with the proposed law's intention.

"Hey, we do pay for it," said Beate Cobb of west El Paso.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas reacted by arguing that the bill will not stop tax-dollar abuse and will create a burden on other systems -- specifically Child Protective Services.

"If their parents are tested for drugs and don't receive the money... and furthermore, the bill actually says that these folks will be referred to the Family and Protective Service Agency, which we already knowis terribly overburdened and probably doesn't have time for these families," said Terri Burke, executive director of ACLU of Texas.

Mandy Johnson, a mother of two small children and on welfare herself, said she disagreed with Perry and Dewhurst. She said they will be hurting children and not the parents.

"It's medicine for my kids. The food is for my kids it's not for myself. So there should be no reason to do the drug testing," said Johnson.

According to Burke, other states have carried out similar laws and find that it costs the state more money to implement drug testing for those applicants.

"Other states found that something like 2 percent of these TANF applicants actually test positive," said Burke.

TANF provides temporary cash assistance to needy families with children as families pursue financial independence.