Students beware!

A new bill has been passed which would allow the government to garnish up to ten percent of a student’s wages if they defaulted on a student loan.

Student Legal Assistance Attorney Lynn Richards said this might be a violation of due process, and she is certainly right.

Big Brother would be able to start taking money from student paychecks without even having to go through court.

If a student signs a loan agreement under the new law, they

waive all rights to the usual garnishment proceedings—a court hearing and decision. Students do not even get to voice an objection.

The law has not yet been implemented—it has a June start date at the earliest. However, Illinois Student Assistance Commission Spokesman Bob Clement says there is still time for some of the provisions of the bill to be challenged.

Students should write to their legislators in protest of this dubious bill. After all, Sen. Paul Simon, D-Illinois, is the one who likes to portray himself as pro-student, with his current bill floating around Capitol Hill.

Let’s try and stop this pseudo-constitutional bill before students get hurt by it.