Despite high expectations with Democratic Congress, public policy groups are losing hopes of repealing financial aid ban on students convicted of minor drug offenses.
More than a year after Democrats claimed control of Congress, one priority for students and some higher education groups — repealing the financial aid ban on those convicted of minor drug violations — remains on the books with little resolution in sight.
The issue is particularly vexing for those working on behalf of low-income students, who say that many poor young adults — and many students of color — are among those suffering the most from this provision.
“We thought we’d have results by now,” says Tom Angell, government relations director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a Washington, D.C., group that has fought to overturn the provision either through legislation or the courts.
“At the beginning of this Congress, we had high expectations for new leadership,” he says. Yet it’s increasingly clear, he adds, that “many lawmakers don’t care about this issue, one way or another.”
Under the aid elimination provision, enacted in 1998, a student loses aid for one year for any type of drug-related conviction, including possession. Penalties increase for second offenses and for those dealing drugs.
Most estimates indicate that the provision affects about 200,000 students annually. “It’s pretty clear this policy has a disproportionate effect on people of color and low-income families,” Angell says.
Carmen Berkley, vice president of the U.S. Student Association, agrees that the issue “is not a priority” for some lawmakers. “We think they’ve been putting it off because of the credit crisis or the war. Plus, it’s an election year,” she says.
Congressional offices contacted for this story — including those for several Congressional Black Caucus members — would not speak publicly about the aid elimination provision. Lobbyists say privately that some CBC members and other lawmakers are working behind the scenes to try to soften the aid elimination provision in House/Senate negotiations on the Higher Education Act.
