Inslee signs anti-hazing bill inspired by Sam Martinez into law: ‘Sam’s story will save lives’

When Washington Condition University freshman Sam Martinez died from liquor poisoning right after a fraternity celebration in 2019, his mother and father became identified to prevent related tragedies.

1 of Jolayne Houtz’s and Hector Martinez’s numerous objectives was satisfied Wednesday when Gov. Jay Inslee signed into regulation the Sam’s Legislation Act. The measure is named just after their son, an Alpha Tau Omega pledge.

Even though the regulation will not convey again her son, Houtz stated she is assured the act will aid avert other people from dealing with a identical tragedy.

“Sam’s story will help save life,” Houtz mentioned in an interview.

Sam’s Law Act will extend the definition of hazing and develop prerequisites for schools to provide hazing education and teaching to students and staff. It also will have to have faculties to publicly report findings of misconduct by pupil groups.

“This monthly bill is a solemn reminder that we can and will do extra to teach college students on the potential risks of hazing,” Inslee claimed in advance of he signed the monthly bill into legislation.

The legislation expands the authorized definition of hazing to incorporate hazardous acts that just take place as part of a person’s continued affiliation with a club, athletic workforce or living group – recent legislation only addresses hazing affiliated with the initiation method and does not involve sporting activities groups. Hazing, on and off campus , will be expressly prohibited in a school’s code of conduct.

Under the law, hazing instruction will be included into orientation plans all new students are required to go to. Workers will get once-a-year teaching on hazing and be expected to report suspected incidents if they have fair bring about to believe such an incident has taken place. Anyone reporting hazing “in very good faith” will not be punished for the incident unless of course they were immediately concerned.

Houtz stated she has puzzled what would’ve transpired to her son if just a person individual acknowledged what was heading on and stepped in.

Equipping pupils with a lot more information on hazing can help college students intervene in terrible circumstances and help save lives, she claimed.

With additional hazing education for learners, “maybe they’ll make a different alternative,” she reported. “Maybe they will say no. They’ll stop. They’ll enable some others from harm. They’ll call for assist in time.”

Faculties will have to publicly report results of any kind of misconduct investigation of a student group. Nationwide social fraternity and sorority companies will be necessary to inform a faculty when they get started running at the school. If a nationwide organization launches a hazing-related investigation into a nearby chapter, they ought to provide findings of that investigation to the university. National organizations also will have to publicly report conclusions of any sort of misconduct investigation into a area chapter.

Houtz said that she seemed into the fraternity chapter her son was pledging but did not discover something concerning. It would afterwards be discovered that the chapter had a heritage so troubling that the countrywide corporation experienced gotten involved and “kicked out just about 50 percent of its customers the 12 months prior to Sam was recruited to be part of,” she claimed.

“If I experienced recognised that, you guess it would have built a variation,” Houtz mentioned. “Now, other households are heading to have entry to that facts, and I could not be happier about that.”

Also, each faculty would have to develop a hazing prevention committee composed of students, faculty and at the very least one particular father or mother or guardian of a pupil.

The monthly bill passed the Property and Senate on unanimous votes. Monthly bill sponsor Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, earlier reported the robust guidance the bill has gotten is a signal that transform is desired.

“I think men and women are just realizing these barbaric functions are just not a little something that we can settle for any extended,” Leavitt said in an interview in February.

Sam’s Regulation Act is just a single work Martinez’s parents are producing to overcome hazing. Hector Martinez mentioned this bill is just 1 move of numerous to occur.

“We know it’s not the conclude of this journey, but at least we know it is the stop of this bill,” Martinez stated when the monthly bill handed the Senate very last thirty day period. “It’s not simple to do it … but we normally assume this is what Sam would’ve wished us to do.”

Houtz and Martinez will proceed to advocate for anti-hazing attempts. This previous session, they pushed for a invoice to raise the penalties involved with hazing. Although the invoice did not make it by way of the Legislature this yr, they strategy on attempting once again up coming session.

They will operate to make positive “that when we say we don’t tolerate hazing in Washington, that there is some teeth behind that, that we essentially signify that and that there are genuine consequences for those people who break the law,” Houtz reported.

Houtz said her household is grateful for the guidance they’ve received in the time pursuing their reduction. The guidance of household and friends, and “hundreds of folks coming with each other from around the state” to advocate for anti-hazing laws, aided her family get by way of a difficult time and get Sam’s Legislation Act handed, she mentioned.

“Really from the day that we misplaced Sam, we experienced men and women sort of phase up and surround us with enjoy and food and bouquets and listening ears and ease and comfort,” Houtz stated. “It’s a impressive factor to be in a position to carry a neighborhood jointly in memory of someone who intended the earth to us.”