I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4584 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the suspension of 
eligibility for assistance under title IV due to drug-related offenses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 1, 2019 
Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 
TRONE, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. MOORE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. MENG, Ms. 
PRESSLEY, Mr. EVANS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. LEE 
of California, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. RUSH, Ms. 
JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. PAYNE, 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CLAY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Mr. CRIST, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. JOHNSON of Geor-
gia, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, and Ms. JUDY 
CHU of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal 
the suspension of eligibility for assistance under title 
IV due to drug-related offenses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Financial Aid Fairness 
for Students Act’’ or the ‘‘FAFSA Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Expanding the ability of low- and middle-in-
come borrowers to pursue higher education is critical 
to reversing decades of exclusionary policies that 
have adversely impacted people of color. 
(2) Under current law, individuals with drug-re-
lated offenses are precluded from accessing Federal 
grants, loans, and work-study aid pursuant to sec-
tion 484(r) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1091(r)), commonly referred to as the 
‘‘Aid Elimination Penalty’’. 
(3) The Free Application for Federal Student 
Aid (FAFSA) screens applicants for Federal finan-
cial aid based on her or his history of drug offenses. 
(4) Given that criminal sentencing laws in the 
United States disproportionately impact racial mi-
norities and low-income communities, the Aid Elimi-
nation Penalty may disproportionately hinder these 
same groups from accessing Federal financial aid. 
(5) Recognizing that an educated citizenry is 
the powerhouse of the Nation, that higher education 
allows Americans to access well-paying jobs, health-
care, strong interpersonal relationships and a higher 
quality of life, the Federal Government should incen-
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tivize the pursuit of higher education while ensuring 
equality of opportunity. 
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF SUSPENSION OF ELIGIBILITY UNDER 
THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 FOR 
GRANTS, LOANS, AND WORK ASSISTANCE FOR 
DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES. 
(a) REPEAL.—Subsection (r) of section 484 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)) is re-
pealed. 
(b) REVISION OF FAFSA FORM.—Section 483 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) 
CONVICTIONS.—The 
Secretary 
shall not include any question about the 
conviction of an applicant for the posses-
sion or sale of illegal drugs on the FAFSA 
(or any other form developed under sub-
section (a)).’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
section 
428(b)(3) 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1078(b)(3))— 
(A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘485(l)’’ and inserting ‘‘485(k)’’; and 
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