Daniel's Message about the Drug War on Education

"As your constituent, I'm writing to urge you to make sure that the penalty that strips financial aid from college students with drug convictions is repealed through the Higher Education Act reauthorization. Since the aid elimination penalty was added as an amendment to HEA 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.

On a personal note, I am one of those students who have prior marijuana possession charges. Sorry I am not perfect. My charges occrred in 2003 prior to my enrollment in college and the court sentenced me to a rehab/drug education program. My drug charge did not affect my eligibility because I had completed the drug education program. I can not imagine where I would be now if I did not have the opportunity to go to college. I have completed internships in former congressman Rob Simmons district office, Gov. Rell's constituent services ofice, and an internship in the General Assembly in 2005 under Rep. Adinolfi. I believe that I am a perfect example of what a person is able to accompish once given a second chance.

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.

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.

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, and Congress's own Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance recommended removing the drug conviction question from the aid application, calling it "irrelevant" to eligibility. Even the Bush administration doesn't like the penalty; the Undersecretary of Education recently testified to a House subcommittee that the drug question is "not anything that we need at the department."

Fortunately, this year's HEA reauthorization process presents a great opportunity to get rid of the harmful and unfair penalty once and for all. Please help tens of thousands of hardworking and determined individuals get back into school and on the path to success by making sure that the HEA bill includes language repealing the aid elimination penalty.

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."

--Daniel Cornelius

Tell Congress to help people like Daniel: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9628286