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Writing a letter to congress is more
important than you might think. Letters from United States
residents are essential to our campaign and every one counts.
You should urge your Representative and Senators to repeal
the Drug Provision.
Do you know who your
elected officials are?!?! Find out here.
You can use our web-based form to write to your Representative
by clicking
here, or click
here to use the form to write to your Senator. You can
also take the steps below. Thank you so much for your support!
To make the most impact, we encourage you to call
congress today!
Issue
On March 9, 2005 Rep. Barney Frank (MA-4) introduced the Removing
Impediments to Students' Education (RISE) Act, H.R. 1184,
which if enacted will repeal the HEA Drug Provision. So far,
it has 63 co-sponsors. During the 108th Congress, H.R. 685,
co-sponsored by 70 members of the House of Representatives
would have, if enacted, fully repealed the drug provision,
which has denied aid to over 160,500 students since taking
effect in 2000. However, there is no similar bill pending
in the Senate.
We need to convince members of the Senate to introduce and
support a Senate bill that would fully repeal the HEA Drug
Provision. With several key Democrats on board, we especially
need a Republican willing to co-sponsor such a bill in the
Senate.
Background on HEA
Added in 1998 as an amendment to the Higher Education Act
(HEA), the “Drug Provision” (section 484(r) or
20 USC 1091(r)) bars students with drug convictions from receiving
federal financial aid to attend institutions of higher learning.
The provision has had the effect of disqualifying a large
number of deserving, low- to middle-income students from receiving
federal aid to attend college for what are often relatively
minor drug offenses, including misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Action Needed
We need Members of the Senate to introduce a bill that will
repeal the HEA Drug Provision. Write, fax, call, or schedule
personal visits with your Senators and urge them to support
repeal of the HEA Drug Provision. (See the sample letter and
phone script below.) Only a strong constituent voice like
yours can convince the Senate that this is an issue they should
support.
House of Representatives
You can copy and paste the sample letter below
and send an email using the House
of Representatives Mail Portal. Or you send it via fax
or snail mail by looking
up your representative.
Not sure who to write? Some key people to contact are on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Dear Representative ________:
Please support repeal of the Higher Education Act (HEA) Drug
Provision, a law that since taking effect in 2000 has delayed
or denied aid to more than 160,500 students with past drug
convictions. I am asking you to cosponsor the Removing Impediments
to Students' Education (RISE) Act in the 109th Congress and
fully repeal the HEA Drug Provision. An equivalent bill in
the 108th Congress, H.R. 685, was cosponsored by 70 members
of the House of Representatives.
Earlier this year the Congressionally-appointed Advisory
Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a bipartisan commission
tasked with examining ways to simplify the financial aid process,
called on Congress repeal the HEA Drug Provision. The report
calls the question about drug convictions on the FAFSA form
"irrelevant," and asserts that it "... add(s)
complexity to the form and can deter some students from applying
for financial aid."
The HEA drug provision is troubling for numerous reasons:
* It is economically discriminatory and only affects the
children of low- and middle-income families who rely on student
loans, federal work-study programs, Pell Grants, and other
forms of aid to help finance their educations. These are the
very students and families whom the HEA set out to assist
by expanding their educational opportunities.
* It is inappropriate to punish people twice for the same
offense. Individuals with drug convictions are already punished
by the criminal justice system and oftentimes their school
as well.
* Judges already have the discretion to deny federal benefits
to those convicted in their courts. Likewise, school administrators
have the discretion to discipline and/or expel students who
violate university policies. We should let those who are directly
in touch with these students make such judgment calls -- not
have one blanket policy decided in Washington, for every student
no matter what the circumstances.
* Studies have shown that those convicted of crimes are
far less likely to be re-arrested after having received two
years of postsecondary education and that students who leave
school after their first year have a dramatically reduced
return rate.
Therefore, it does not seem in anyone's best interest to
take students out of school for drug offenses. I fear that
denying such students the opportunity to pull themselves out
of the dangerous cycles of poverty and poor lifestyle choices
may lead some of them to destructive behavior which we will
later pay for in crime and tax dollars.
President Bush has said that "America is the land of
the second chance." I ask you to embrace that message
by working to ensure that Congress corrects the mistake it
made in 1998. Please cosponsor and support legislation in
the 109th Congress that will fully repeal the HEA Drug Provision.
Thank you in advance for your attention on this important
issue, and I would certainly appreciate a response with your
thoughts.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
Senate
You can copy and paste the sample letter below
and send an email using the Senate Website. Or you send it
via fax or snail mail by looking
up your senator.
Not sure who to write? Some key people to contact
are on the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Dear Senator ________:
I am writing you to express my concern about a harmful and
unjust law which denies federal financial aid to students
with drug convictions. Added in 1998 as an amendment to the
Higher Education Act, this law is now being reconsidered in
the House of Representatives. Since the law’s enactment,
over 160,500 students have been impacted by the law, often
for relatively minor offenses such as misdemeanor marijuana
possession.
One of the troubling consequences of the drug provision is
that it primarily impacts the children of low- and middle-income
families who rely on student loans, federal work-study programs,
and other forms of aid to help finance their educations. These
are the very students and families the HEA is intended to
assist.
It also is unfair to punish students twice for the same offense.
These students have already been arrested, convicted and punished
in the criminal justice system, and oftentimes by their school
as well. Judges possess the discretion to deny federal benefits
to those convicted in their courts. Likewise, school administrators
have the discretion to discipline and/or expel students who
violate university policies. We should allow those who are
most familiar with these students to make decisions about
what punishments are appropriate, not officials in Washington
who make blanket prohibitions which unnecessarily exclude
deserving students from pursuing an education.
It is not in society’s best interest to take students
out of school for an offense that the criminal justice system
has already dealt with. Studies have shown that those convicted
of crimes are far less likely to be re-arrested after having
received two years of postsecondary education. Denying students
the opportunity to pull themselves out of the cycle of poverty
and poor lifestyle choices may lead them to destructive behavior
which we will later pay for in crime and tax dollars.
President Bush said in his State of the Union address that
“America is the land of the second chance.” I
ask you to embrace that message and invest in the young people
we need to keep our country moving in the right direction.
As a member of the Senate, you now have the opportunity to
ensure that Congress corrects the mistake it made in 1998.
H.R. 1184, the Removing Impediments to Students' Education
(RISE) Act, introduced on March 9, 2005 so far has gained
the support of 64 members of Congress. H.R. 685 received the
support of 70 members of the House during the 108th Congress.
However, no bill is set to be introduced in the Senate. I
urge you to introduce and support a bill similar to H.R. 1184
that would repeal the drug provision contained in existing
law.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I would
certainly appreciate a response with your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
Misc
Sample Letter specifically tailored to address the repeal of the HEA drug provision from the standpoint of a Financial Aid Director.
Sample Letter designed for use by College Presidents and Administrators but should be useful for any college educator.
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