Sen. Amy Klobuchar co-leading charge for anti-hazing law: "Deterrence works"
MINNEAPOLIS — New legislation is working to combat a serious, and in some cases deadly issue on college campuses.
It's not the first congressional effort to curb hazing, but lawmakers — including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar — feel hopeful.
The bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate late last month, and it would force colleges and universities to disclose exactly how many hazing incidents happen on their campuses each year.
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Klobuchar is co-leading the charge, and was joined Tuesday morning by a Minnesota family who's seen the horrors of hazing first hand.
Like any college freshman, Danny Santulli was eager to start campus life at the University of Missouri.
"He decided that he wanted to join a fraternity just to get to know more people," said mother Mary Pat Santulli. "Things just went terribly wrong that night. They forced him to drink large amounts of alcohol … They just threw him on a couch and just thought he was sleeping it off. However he wasn't. He was laying there dying."
Danny survived, but as a result of the hazing, he's now unable to walk, talk or see.
"We never would've allowed him if we'd known the history of this fraternity and things that are going on behind the scenes," she said.
It's why the Santullis and other parents across the country are advocating for change and transparency at the U.S. Capitol.
"Deterrence works. When people find out things, when people are held accountable for things," Klobuchar said.
Lawmakers say it's been hard to crack down on hazing because there isn't a standard way of tracking it. The Stop Campus Hazing bill would require college campuses and universities across the country, and in Minnesota, to disclose exactly how many hazing incidents happen on their campuses each year.
It would also force schools to share its hazing policies and establish campus-wide hazing prevention and education programs.
"An 18-year-old kid shouldn't have to subject themselves to abuse in order to fit into college," Klobuchar said.
"Let's keep up the push, let's get this to the finish line," said father Tom Santulli. "We're almost there, we're excited about it."
Along with Klobuchar, the bill is also sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana.