March 10, 2005: 56 members of Congress introduced the Removing Impediments to Students' Education (RISE) Act this week. Today, the NAACP, ACLU, National Association of Financial Aid Administrators, US Students Association, Faces and Voices of Recovery, the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance, SSDP, and the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform to announce the introduction of this legislation.

The US government has recently been blocking students who have had prior drug convictions from getting financial aid. The bill that was introduced in Congress yesterday would expand educational opportunities by repealing the Higher Education Act (HEA) Drug Provision. The Removing Impediments to Students' Education (RISE) Act, H.R. 1184. If it is enacted, the bill would repeal the HEA Drug Provision, which, since it took effect in 2000, has denied financial aid to over 160,500 students who have prior drug convictions. Over 200 organizations and 115 student governments from across the country have called on Congress to repeal the law. With growing concern regarding the effects of this failed policy, it is likely that education advocates will push hard in both the House and the Senate to reinstate financial aid to students who need it.

Supporters say the RISE Act will help students like Marisa Garcia, a junior at California State University-Fullerton, who nearly had to drop out of school after being caught with a marijuana pipe in 1999. "The HEA Drug Provision created an immense burden on me and my family, but I had a support structure to help me get through this; many others are not so fortunate," said Garcia. "This law is fundamentally flawed." Read more

1/24 update about HEA reform | Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) | Faces and Voices of Recovery Brochure | Students for Sensible Drug Policy | Drug War Coordination Network