Fair Access to Education Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-3561
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]
Introduced: 2015-09-18
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Drug trafficking and controlled substances

Higher education

Student aid and college costs
Latest action: action_date: 2016-03-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-09-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Fair Access to Education Act of 2015</b></p> <p>This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify federal student aid eligibility criteria. Specifically, it limits drug offense convictions that bar a student from participating in federal student aid programs. </p> <p>Under current law, any drug offense conviction involving sale or possession of a controlled substance triggers suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a student who commits the drug offense while enrolled in postsecondary education and receiving federal student aid. This bill excludes from triggering drug offense convictions any misdemeanor offense for marijuana possession that occurred before, on, or after enactment of this bill. </p> <p>This bill reestablishes federal student aid eligibility for certain students who are ineligible&nbsp;due to a prior conviction for misdemeanor marijuana possession. <br /></p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3561 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2015 Mr. Blumenauer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To amend the section 484(r) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude certain marijuana-related offenses from the drug-related offenses that result in students being barred from receiving Federal educational loans, grants, and work assistance, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fair Access to Education Act of 2015 . 2. Exclusion of misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses from drug-related offenses resulting in suspension of eligibility for financial assistance for higher education Paragraph (1) of section 484(r) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1091(r)(1) ) is amended by inserting after controlled substance the following: , but not including any misdemeanor offense for possession of marihuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 802 )), . 3. Applicability; resumption of eligibility (a) Applicability The amendment made by section 2 shall apply to convictions for offenses described in the matter inserted by such amendment occurring before, on, and after the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Resumption of eligibility Any student whose eligibility for grants, loans, and work assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq. ) was suspended under paragraph (1) of section 484(r) of such Act by reason of a conviction, before the enactment of this Act, for an offense described in the matter inserted by the amendment made by section 2 of this Act shall, unless otherwise ineligible for such assistance, resume eligibility upon such date of enactment.