Urge Sen. Coleman to repeal the Drug Provision

We need to convince members of the Senate, including Sen. Norm Coleman, 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 Senator willing to co-sponsor such a bill. With Sen. Coleman currently considering the issue, now is the time to weigh in.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Repeal the Financial Aid Ban

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

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, more than 160,500 students have been affected, often for relatively minor offenses such as misdemeanor marijuana possession. Many Minnesota groups such as the Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health (MAARCH), the Minneapolis Urban League, the Minnesota NAACP, and the Council on Crime and Justice have joined the more than 240 organizations nation-wide that support the full repeal of the HEA Drug Provision.

One of the more 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 education. These are the very students and families the HEA was created 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 further punishment only acts as double jeopardy.

Studies have shown that ex-offenders who have received two years of postsecondary education have a mere 10% recidivism rate as compared to the 60% recidivism rate of those who have not received any 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.

As a member of the Senate, you now have the opportunity to ensure that Congress corrects the mistake it made in 1998. Introduced in the 109th Congress, H.R. 1184 has already received the support of 67 members of the House. However, no companion bill has been 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,

Campaign Launched:
July 11, 2005

Background Information

The RISE Act or H.R. 1184 was introduced this Congress in order to fully repeal the Higher Education Act (HEA) Drug Provision, which has delayed or denied financial aid to more than 160,500 students with drug convictions since taking effect in 1999. The Senate will be introducing a bill to reauthorize the HEA in the next couple of weeks and can therefore repeal the financial aid ban for students with drug convictions.

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 marijuana possession.

As an independent Republican in the Senate, Sen. Coleman will be a necessary ally in the struggle to repeal the HEA Drug Provision. Write, fax, call, or schedule personal visits with Sen. Coleman and urge him to support the repeal of this unjust policy. Only a strong constituent voice like yours can convince the Senator that this is an issue he should support.

Sen. Coleman can be reached at (202) 224-5641or faxed at (202) 224-1152.

As a constituent, you also have the opportunity to meet Sen. Coleman or one of his staffers in his district office or in his Washington D.C. office. It is best to schedule a meeting with the education staffer. In addition, when you receive a response, please forward it along to us, as it is most helpful in gauging legislators’ positions on the issue.