Stop the War on Education

Since 1998, nearly 200,000 aspiring college students have been stripped of their financial aid just because they have drug convictions, usually for small-time marijuana possession. Meanwhile, convicted murderers and rapists are eligible to continue receiving federal student loans and grants. Students need your help to pressure Congress to overturn the harmful and unfair aid elimination penalty. To make taking a stand as easy as possible, we've created a pre-written letter that you can edit and send to legislators.

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Subject: As your constituent, I'm writing to urge you to co-sponsor legislation repealing the ban on financial aid for college students with drug convictions. Since the aid elimination penalty was added as an amendment to the Higher Education Act in 1998, nearly 200,000 aspiring students have been blocked access to aid, often for relatively minor offenses such as possession of small amounts of marijuana. While the penalty is supposed to keep young people away from drugs, it actually does the opposite by kicking at-risk students out of school. But blocking access to education doesn't just hurt the students directly impacted – it has harmful implications for society as a whole. College graduates are much more likely to become successful taxpaying citizens, while those who are kicked out of school are more likely to abuse drugs, become costly drains on the criminal justice system, and rely on expensive government assistance programs. Furthermore, since there are already minimum GPA requirements to receive financial aid, the penalty only affects hardworking students who are doing well in their classes. As for students who are causing problems and disrupting the learning process for others, college administrators already have the authority to expel them, and judges have long had the ability to revoke student aid from people with drug convictions on a case-by-case basis. The one-size-fits-all penalty strips discretion from decision-makers who know students best. The Removing Impediments to Students' Education (RISE) Act, sponsored in the House by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), would repeal the aid elimination penalty and help hardworking and determined individuals get back into school and on the path to success. Last Congress, the bill had more than 70 House co-sponsors. Numerous addiction recovery, criminal justice, religious, and other leaders have insisted that education is one of the best means to reduce crime and drug abuse. Even Congress's own Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance recommended removing the drug conviction question from the aid application, calling it "irrelevant" to eligibility. Tens of thousands of determined young people are waiting to get back into school. Please help them achieve success by co-sponsoring the RISE Act today. Thanks for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as soon as you have a chance to share them. Your signature will be added from the information you provide.		In order for this message to be successfully delivered to your legislators, most fields are required.           Title    Select Title Mr. Ms. Mrs. Dr. Rabbi Fr. Rev. Hon. Br. Sr. First Name * Last Name * Email * Street * Street 2 City * State/Region Select One... Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other * Zip/Postal Code    * Optional Member Code  Keep me informed on this and other campaigns Please remember my info for future forms