Holden’s Bill Establishes Hazing Liability

Chris Holden (Photo – Office of Chris Holden)

This week, Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation, Assembly Bill 2193, Hazing Accountability, passed both Houses of the Legislature and heads to the Governor’s desk.

By News Desk

AB 2193 would allow for civil action to be brought against an educational institution for an instance of hazing in which an educational institution had direct involvement or should have known of the dangerous hazing practices of an affiliated organization.

“There are endless fatal hazing cases that have happened all across the country spanning decades back,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “No part of participating in the college experience should be deadly and I am glad that we as a state are on the verge of establishing some protections for these students.”

There has been an increase in dangerous hazing practices within extracurricular groups and campus organizations, and a lackluster effort on the part of many institutions to address it. As a result, The Indiana United Press recorded that there has been at least one hazing-related death each year between 1961 and 2017. Hazing can include anything from forced alcohol consumption, to physical abuse and public humiliation. These activities can lead to long-term trauma and, too often, to death.

Hazing is a clearly detrimental practice that California has taken seriously. Assembly Bill 2193 keeps us on that path by holding the educational institutions responsible for the consequences that hazing may bring to students. This responsibility will hopefully encourage institutions to oversee and prevent hazing, in an effort to save students’ lives.