Write your representative—support HR 685

[shanek]

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h685ih.txt.pdf

It's short and it speaks for itself:

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 685

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the provisions prohibiting persons convicted of drug offenses from receiving student financial assistance.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 11, 2003

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. OLVER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. FARR, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. NADLER, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. RUSH, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. MATSUI, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. OWENS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. BACA, Mr. STARK, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. FILNER, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. WEXLER, and Mr. LANTOS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the provisions prohibiting persons convicted of drug offenses from receiving student financial assistance.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPEAL OF PROVISIONS PROHIBITING PERSONS CONVICTED OF DRUG OFFENSES FROM RECEIVING STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

Subsection (r) of section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)) is repealed.

20 USC 1091(r) reads:

(r) Suspension of eligibility for drug-related offenses

(1) In general

A student who has been convicted of any offense under any Federal or State law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified in the following table:

If convicted of an offense involving:
	
The possession of	Ineligibility period is:
a controlled substance:
First offense		1 year
Second offense		2 years
Third offense		Indefinite.

The sale of a 		Ineligibility period is:
controlled substance:
First offense		2 years
Second offense		Indefinite.

(2) Rehabilitation

A student whose eligibility has been suspended under paragraph (1) may resume eligibility before the end of the ineligibility period determined under such paragraph if -

(A) the student satisfactorily completes a drug rehabilitation program that -

(i) complies with such criteria as the Secretary shall prescribe in regulations for purposes of this paragraph; and

(ii) includes two unannounced drug tests; or

(B) the conviction is reversed, set aside, or otherwise rendered nugatory.

(3) Definitions

In this subsection, the term ''controlled substance'' has the meaning given the term in section 802(6) of title 21.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/20/1091.html

Regardless of how you feel about the War on Drugs, it makes no sense at all to deny this opportunity to those who arguably need it most. As a Libertarian, I'm not sanguine about the government funding education, but if they're going to do it, they should at least do it fairly and not deny it to someone who did nothing more than put a substance into their own body that the government doesn't like.

 

[prettygirlsmakegrave]

in my opinion this would only prevent a rehabilitated kid from getting his life back together and going to school??

 

[prettygirlsmakegrave]

whoa i missed an intire paragraph there! that will teach me not to be so careless! sorry