Members of the Anti-Hazing Coalition were in Washington last week to watch the House Education and Workforce Committee mark-up and vote out of committee the Stop Campus Hazing Act (H.R.5646/S.2901).
The Committee voted 28-2 to approve the bill, which now awaits action on the House floor likely this week.
Before and after the House mark-up, members of the Anti-Hazing Coalition met with House Education Committee Chairman Virginia Foxx (R-NC/Alpha Delta Pi), Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA/Alpha Phi Alpha), lead sponsor Lucy McBath (D-GA/Delta Sigma Theta), committee member G.T. Thompson (R-PA), and Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH/Alpha Epsilon Pi).
The Stop Campus Hazing Act’s central feature is a requirement for schools to maintain a public webpage documenting which student organizations have been disciplined in the last few years for actions that had the potential to harm other students. This database would allow parents and students to make informed decisions about what student organizations are safe to join, and student groups that haze new members would either reform themselves or find it challenging to recruit new members in the future.
When this bill passes, it will mark the first time a chamber of Congress has taken action to address this issue. Contrary to previous media narratives, the successful passage of this hazing legislation is largely due to the persistent advocacy of the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) over the past several years.
The Anti-Hazing Coalition is comprised of parents who lost their sons in senseless hazing deaths, the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), and Hazing Prevention.Org. The Coalition has been successful in passing tough new hazing laws in multiple statehouses over the past few years.
