Aid Relief in Sight for Students Convicted of Drug Crimes
MINNEAPOLIS
Congress is re-evaluating a five-year old law that denies financial aid to college students with drug convictions.
Tens of thousands of students are denied federal grants and loans every year because of drug-crime convictions. In September, the House will vote on a bill that could change that.
The bill would allow students convicted of drug crimes before they started college to be eligible for federal aid. Students convicted during college, however, are out of luck.
“There needs to be some incentive to keep you from getting on drugs,” said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., a member of the House Education Committee that approved the plan last week. “The loss of your student aid is an appropriate tool.”
Kline said the bill was pretty straightforward.
