Federal anti-hazing legislation passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday and is on its way to the Senate, which needs to approve it before it can become law.
The bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act would require institutions to include hazing incidents in their annual security reports, implement hazing-prevention programming and publish their hazing policies online, along with information about which student organizations have a history of hazing incidents.
Although most states already have anti-hazing legislation in place, there is not currently a federal law, which is something parents of hazing victims, other campus safety advocates and some lawmakers have been trying to change for years. This is the first time anti-hazing legislation has passed the House or Senate.
“By improving reporting and mandating prevention programs, this bill is a bipartisan measure to protect the health and safety of students while ensuring that students and their parents can make informed decisions when joining campus organizations,” Representative Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and the ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said in a statement.
Between 1959 and 2021, at least one hazing death took place on a U.S. college campus every year, according to an up-to-date hazing tracker maintained by Hank Nuwer, a noted hazing researcher and professor.
“Postsecondary education in America has been besieged by hazing for far too long—the safety and well-being of students must remain a top priority no matter what institution they attend,” said Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the House education committee. “The bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act will increase transparency and improve reporting processes at educational institutions across the nation.”
