TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – A pair of bills which would allow state agencies to random drug test their employees have cleared another set of hurdles.

Senator Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, who sponsored SB 1358, said the proposal is a matter of public safety.

“What this bill effectively does is gives state agencies the same drug testing opportunity that private businesses have all across the land,” Hays said before the Senate Health Regulation Committee approved the measure.

Earlier in the day, the House Government Operations Subcommittee approved the House version.

The bills would not require drug testing but would allow random tests every three months. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order last year that required employee drug testing. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a constitutional challenge that has led to the suspension of the executive order.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.