Washington, DC – This week, Representatives Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) and Glen “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) are leading a resolution to recognize September 21-25, 2026 as “National Hazing Awareness Week.” The resolution recognizes the hundreds of students who have died or suffered severe, life-altering injuries because of collegiate hazing and promotes efforts to prevent hazing. A companion resolution has been introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA). This is the fourth year that Rep. McBath has led this resolution to recognize the pain felt by families who have lost a child to hazing.
“I have been honored to work with families and advocates to pass legislation to end campus hazing. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one, and no parent should ever have to bury their child,” said Rep. McBath. “I’m glad to lead efforts once again to spread awareness about the pain of these incidents and am grateful to my colleagues for their continued commitment to protecting our students.”
“Hazing has left countless students with life-altering injuries, and too many families have had to endure the loss of a loved one. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan resolution to bring awareness, accountability, and transparency to campuses in an effort to help protect students from hazing,” Rep. Thompson said.
“When parents send their kids away to college, they expect they will get a good education and make new friends. They don’t expect them to be harassed and hazed. Hazing is a dangerous — and at times deadly — reality that students are confronted with,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “With this resolution, we honor the students who have died or been severely injured due to hazing and promote preventive efforts. This goes hand in hand with our bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, which is improving hazing reporting and prevention on college campuses.”
“Students should not have to fear getting physically or emotionally harmed while they are simply trying to find community at college,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Thanks to the tireless work of the Gruver family and other advocates, we passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act last Congress to increase accountability and ensure hazing is never ignored.”
In 2024, the bipartisan bill to stop campus hazing led by McBath, Klobuchar, and Cassidy was signed into law. H.R. 5646, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, combats hazing and dangerous practices towards students on college campuses by ensuring transparency and setting parameters for preventative action.
Original cosponsors of the National Hazing Awareness Week resolution include Representatives Sheri Biggs, Salud Carbajal, Judy Chu, Brian Fitzpatrick, Adelita Grijalva, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Adam Smith, and Frederica Wilson. The full text of the resolution is available here.
