Wis. Lawmakers Propose Financial-Aid Penalty June 20, 2005
News Summary
Students who sell or possess illicit drugs would lose their state education aid under a bill introduced by a Wisconsin Senate lawmaker, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported June 16.State Sen. Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) introduced the bill in the Senate Committee on Higher Education and Tourism, saying, "We need to take a stand against drugs." A similar bill died in the Senate last year after being approved in the state Assembly.
School financial-aid administrators objected to the bill, saying they don't have the means to track student drug offenses. Congress passed a similar law in 1998, but that measure has been roundly criticized, is up for reauthorization this year, and is likely to be amended.
Some Wisconsin officials said the state should hold off on its bill until the status of the federal law becomes clearer. "The bill has laudable goals," said state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), chair of the higher-education committee. "It's the details we want sorted out."
The Wisconsin bill goes further than they federal law by banning aid and scholarships to students convicted of possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or distribute, as well as those convicted of selling drugs.
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