RESTRICTION ON EDUCATION AID IS STILL INCONSISTENT

Recently released data from the U.S. Department of Education shows
that, since 2000, nearly 2,400 Iowans have been denied the financial
aid they need for college. A little known provision of the Higher
Education Act of 2000 declared anyone with a drug conviction to be
ineligible for federal aid for education -- whether the conviction
was for possession or selling.

We're pleased that Congress recently decided to narrow the scope of
this law to apply only to those convicted while actively receiving
federal funds. But the policy, as written, remains inconsistent and unhelpful.

There are no similar restrictions against students who have murdered,
raped or committed many other crimes that the average American would
deem more heinous then simple drug possession. If caught with a
partial joint while in college, however, lower-income students are
cut off from any more federal assistance.

The policy also ignores the fact that we already have strict
punishment in place for such offenses. Students will face jail time
or fines for their bad acts. It doesn't make any sense to cut off
funding at the very time these students would benefit most
concentrating on their school work.

Given the rising costs of tuition and fees, many of these students
depend upon federal aid to even attend college in the first place.
They should receive some punishment, but they should not be cut off
from one of the most effective ways of turning their lives around.

We urge Congress to make the policy more consistent: either remove
the drug restriction altogether, make categories for different levels
of drug offenses or start restricting a long list of other bad acts.