CHANGING SOUDER'S LAW

Congressman Mark Souder's long-simmering attempts to undo part of the
damage he caused with a poorly written 1998 law denying federal student aid
to college students with drug-related convictions gets another chance to
advance this week. It is time for Congress to change this Draconian law
that hinders the chances of young adults previously involved with drugs
from obtaining the education that would help them become more productive.

Language that would apply the restrictions only to students convicted while
they are receiving aid was included in a student aid bill heard last week
in a House subcommittee and scheduled to go before the House Education
Committee this week. Souder has long said his original intent was for the
bill to apply only to those students and that the Department of Education
wrongly applied it to students convicted before seeking financial aid.

Souder's attempts to change the law have cleared the House before, only to
be stopped when the Senate failed to approve the more expansive bills in
which the language was included. A college education remains one of the
most vital tools for success, and tuition assistance should not be denied
to otherwise qualified low-income students with previous drug convictions.