ATLANTA — For some, a college degree can represent success and hope. With rising inflation and tuition costs, it can be also out of reach for so many people.
It's the reason why Georgia's HOPE Scholarship, which is funded by the Georgia Lottery and awards students with financial aid, has become so critical to so many Georgians.
Georgia House Representative Eric Bell (D) with District 75 said there's one group who has been excluded from the aid for far too long.
"You make a mistake at 18. How the law is right now, it’s 10 years before you're eligible for financial aid again," said Bell.
Bell said that under the current state law, Georgian's who are convicted of non-violent drug crimes are no longer eligible for the Hope Scholarship.
"We’re going to alienate all those Georgians. They possibly could have been our next doctor, our next teacher. But they didn't have their option because they made a single mistake, one solitary mistake," added Bell.
Which is why Rep. Bell is backed by House Bill 835 in the upcoming legislative session.
"So HB 853 essentially repeals the Drug Postsecondary Act of 1990, which made people, Georgians... ineligible for HOPE scholarship, state loans, state tuition, grants to continue their education if they have a drug conviction," explained Bell.
The representative said he has a personal connection to the topic.
"My older sister actually was a student at Savannah State, and she attended a party and there was marijuana at the party. And everyone at the party got charged with marijuana.," he said. "And unfortunately, when my sister lost financial aid -- I don't come from the neighborhood or the family status that has the capital to pay for her tuition."
Bell said he wants to make sure others don't have to go through what his sister had to go through, adding that he's had a lot of support from both Republicans and Democrats about the bill.