Remember the Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act we’ve been talking about? it's the federal law that denies student loans and other education assistance to students convicted of a drug law violation. Tens of thousands of students have been kicked out of college, mostly for simple possession of Marijuana. Momentum is building to repeal this unfair law this year, but we need your help.
A few months ago, Rep. Barney Frank (MA) introduced legislation (H.R. 5157) to repeal the Aid Elimination Penalty. It now has 80 co-sponsors, more than enough to show House leadership that there’s support for ending the draconian penalty this year.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT) has introduced legislation (S. 2767) that would give judges the option of letting students keep their school loans as part of any sentence to ensure they finish college. If enough senators co-sponsor S. 2767 we believe we can pass it this year--and that’s where you come in.
Please take a few minutes today to call your two U.S. senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 2767.
Phone calls will make the biggest impact in this campaign. But if you can't call, you can look up the email addresses and fax numbers for your two U.S. senators a http://www.senate.gov/ .
It is vital all senators--Democrats and Republicans--hear from you. Congress needs to know that the American people want this law repealed. People shouldn't be discriminated against simply for what they choose to put into their own bodies absent harm to others, and people convicted of drug law violations shouldn’t be denied opportunities to finish school and put their lives back together.
Thank you,
Bill Piper
Director of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance
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