Email from November Coalition (www.november.org)

PLEASE HELP....TAKE ACTION AND SPREAD THE WORD!!! Thank you :cuffs:
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HEA ACTION ALERT

FAX YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS NOW

PHONE ON THURSDAY

Friends,

As you know, since its inception, SSDP has campaigned against a 1998
amendment to the Higher Education Act denies federal financial aid to
anyone convicted of a drug-related offense, no matter how minor. This
provision is counter-productive and causes enormous harm, particularly to
minority students and middle-class and lower-income students who can't
afford the high cost of college. Department of Education data indicates
that more than 128,000 students have been adversely affected by the provision.

H.R. 685, a bill in Congress that would repeal the provision has the
support of sixty-five Representatives, and now nine Presidential candidates
have spoken out against the provision. A national coalition has formed to
fight for repeal of the provision. Allies include the United States
Student Association and the American Council on Education.

Pressure from our broad-based coalition has already started to trouble Rep.
Mark Souder, the provision's author. Recently, Rep. Souder introduced a
proposal that he sees as a "fix" to the problems associated with the
provision. While we applaud any efforts to reduce the suffering caused by
this bad law, we know that the only true solution is its full repeal.

We need you to send this message loud and clear to Congress!

Right now - with reauthorization of the Higher Education Act on the horizon
- is the best opportunity to repeal the drug provision.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

1) FAX YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS RIGHT NOW and urge them to
support all opportunities to repeal the 1998 Higher Education Act amendment
that delays or denies federal financial aid to anyone convicted of a drug
related offense.

http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=14997&ms=heassdp

2) Follow-up your fax with phone calls to their offices this THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 12, 2004. We'll send you a reminder email Wednesday with sample
scripts.

3) Forward this action alert to your friends and family. The more people
who fax and call, the more likely can we end the ban!

In January, in freezing, frigid New Hampshire, we kicked off a national
campaign to demand full repeal of that provision to the Higher Education
Act that denies or delays federal financial aid to anyone with a
drug-related offense. Today marks the second step in a larger campaign
that will culminate in a National Day of Action sometime in April.

For more information, log on to http://www.raiseyourvoice.com. To allow
SSDP to continue its work, please donate at
http://www.ssdp.org/SSDP_ROOT/4_Donate_To_SSDP/DONATE.htm

Sincerely,
Scarlett Swerdlow
National Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

If anyone wants the direct fax number for your reps/senators i will try my hardest to find them for you...tho this petition is from a very reliable site (drug policy alliance). Again, please help spread the word...this can help SO many individuals! thank you!

this is another long one...but our time is almost up and I'm hoping that I'll get some help here, this is something that I support 100% and I have very strong feelings towards this issue. If you have a moment, please take the time out to help. This decision will affect millions of people and they all need your help...thank you!
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ACTION ALERT

Urge Senate Judiciary to Repeal the HEA Drug Provision

March 3, 2004

Issue

Within weeks, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a bill to
reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Among
other things, this bill will likely revise the Drug Provision of the
Higher Education Act (HEA) enacted in 1998.

We need to work hard to convince select Senators on this committee to
repeal this harmful and unjust provision. Now is the time to contact
your Senator on the committee to let him or her know that you care
about this issue.

Background on HEA

The "Drug Provision" of the Higher Education Act (section 484(r))
disqualifies students with drug convictions from receiving federal
financial aid to attend institutions of higher learning. The
provision has blocked a large number of deserving, low- to
middle-income students from receiving federal aid to attend college
for what are often relatively minor drug offenses, including
misdemeanor possession of marijuana. It was hastily adopted in 1998
without hearings.

Action needed

If your Senator is listed below, your urgent action on this issue is
imperative. Write, fax, call, or schedule a personal visit with your
Senator to urge him or her to support the repeal of the HEA Drug
Provision. (See the sample letter and phone script below.) Only many
constituent voices can convince your Senator.

These Senators on the Judiciary Committee need to hear from us:

State Senator(s) Phone Fax

California Dianne Feinstein (D) 202-224-3841 202-228-3954
Delaware Joseph Biden (D) 202-224-5042 202-224-0139
Illinois Richard Durbin (D) 202-224-2152 202-228-0400
Massachusetts Edward Kennedy (D) 202-224-4543 202-224-2417
New York Charles Schumer (D) 202-224-6542 202-228-3027
North Carolina John Edwards (D) 202-224-3154 202-228-1374
Ohio Mike DeWine (R) 202-224-2315 202-224-6519
Pennsylvania Arlen Specter (R) 202-224-4254 202-228-1229
Vermont Patrick Leahy (D) 202-224-4242 202-224-3479
Wisconsin Russ Feingold (D) 202-224-5323 202-224-2725
Herb Kohl (D) 202-224-5653 202-224-9787

As constituents, you often have the opportunity to meet in person with
your Senators at their in-state offices. Follow this link to find out
how to contact your Senators and schedule an in-state meeting:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

For more information on HEA and how to become active, please see
http://www.raiseyourvoice.com/ For suggestions on talking points or
strategy, please contact Ross Wilson by email at rwilson@ssdp.org or
at the phone number listed below.

Ross Wilson
Legislative Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
1623 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002
Tel.: 202-293-4414
Fax: 202-293-8344
rwilson@ssdp.org

Sample letter

When sending a letter or fax, always request a response. The
following is a sample letter. Edit it, send in its entirety, or use
it as background for your own letter, but write. The most important
thing is that your Senator hears from you now.

================================================== ====================

Dear [Senator _________],

I am concerned about a harmful and unjust law which denies federal
financial aid to deserving students who have drug convictions. Added
in 1998 as an amendment to the Higher Education Act, this law is now
being reconsidered in the reauthorization bill for the Office of
National Drug Control Policy (S. 1860). Since the law's enactment,
more than 128,000 students have been ineligible for aid, often for
relatively minor offenses such as misdemeanor possession.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the "Drug Provision" is that
affects the children of low- and middle-income families who rely on
student loans, federal work-study programs, Pell Grants, and other aid
to finance their educations. These are the same students and families
that the HEA is intended to assist in expanding their educational
opportunities.

It does not make sense to punish students two or three times for the
same offense. They have been convicted and sentenced by a judge. They
have been dealt with by the criminal justice system and paid their
debt to society that the criminal laws provide. In fact, judges have
had the authority to deny federal benefits, including federal student
aid, to those convicted in their courts since 1988. Likewise, school
administrators have the authority to discipline and/or expel students
who violate university policies. Those who are most familiar with
these students and the facts of the case should determine the
appropriate punishments. A blanket prohibition is inevitably overbroad
in its application and inevitably excludes deserving students from
pursuing an education.

From a practical standpoint, the HEA Drug Provision is harmful to
society. Studies have shown that convicts are far less likely to be
re-arrested after having received two years of postsecondary
education. Other studies show that students who leave school after
their first year are less likely to return to complete their studies
than those who come back for a second year. Therefore, it does not
seem in anyone's interest to take students out of school for an
offense that the criminal justice system has already dealt with. I
fear that denying at-risk students the opportunity to educate
themselves may steer them toward the destructive behavior which we
will later pay for in crime and tax dollars.

President Bush said in his State of the Union address last month that
"America is the land of the second chance." I ask you to embrace that
message and work to assure that America continues to invest in the
young people we need most to keep our country moving in the right
direction.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you have the
opportunity to correct the mistake Congress made in 1998. In
considering the ONDCP bill, I urge you to support an amendment to
repeal the Drug Provision.

Thank you for your attention on this important issue. I would greatly
appreciate a response with your thoughts.

Sincerely,

================================================== ====================

Sample Phone Script

When calling your Senator, you might find the following sample script
helpful:

================================================== ====================

"Hi, my name is __________, and I'm calling from [town in the state].

I'm calling is to encourage Senator ____________ to vote to repeal the
Higher Education Act drug provision which denies financial aid to
students with drug convictions.

Since this law was enacted, over 128,000 students have been made
ineligible for college financial aid. This is very unfortunate because
the Higher Education Act is intended to expand educational
opportunities to students from low- and middle-income families.

I understand that the Higher Education Act is up for reauthorization,
and I strongly urge Senator ___________ to ensure that the Drug
Provision is finally repealed.

An amendment to repeal the drug provision may be offered in the
Judiciary Committee's consideration of the ONDCP reauthorization, S.
1860. I urge the Senator to vote for the amendment if offered."

================================================== ====================

Notes:

* If you are a student attending school in your Senator's state,
mention that fact at the beginning of the call.

* If you are a constituent calling from outside the state, say where
in the Senator's state you're from and not where you are now.

* If, in the unlikely event that the staffer might ask, you can cite
the "Drug Provision" as section 484(r) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)).