To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to withhold Federal student financial assistance from students who have engaged in hazing, and for other purposes.

March 11, 2003

Ms. WATSON (for herself, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. OWENS, and Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to withhold Federal student financial assistance from students who have engaged in hazing, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Hazing Prohibition Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. LOSS OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY FOR HAZING.

Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (51 U.S.C. 20 U.S.C. 1091) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(s) LOSS OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY FOR HAZING-

`(1) SUSPENSION OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIRED- A student who has been subjected to an official sanction for hazing, or for being an accessory to hazing, shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this title during the period beginning on the date of such sanction and ending after an interval of one year.

`(2) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this subsection:

`(A) The term `hazing' means any assumption of authority by a student whereby another student suffers or is exposed to any cruelty, intimidation, humiliation, embarrassment, hardship, or oppression, or is required to perform exercises to excess, to become sleep deprived, to commit dangerous activities, to curry favor from those in power, to submit to physical assaults, to consume offensive foods or alcohol, or the threat of bodily harm or death, or the deprivation or abridgement of any right.

`(B) The term `official sanction'--

`(i) means expulsion, suspension, probation, censure, condemnation, reprimand, or any other disciplinary, coercive, or adverse action taken by an institution of higher education or administrative unit of the institution; and

`(ii) includes an oral or written warning made by an official of an institution of higher education acting in the official capacity of the official.'.

SEC. 3. REPORTING OF HAZING CRIMES TO STUDENTS.

(a) AMENDMENT- Section 485(f)(1)(E) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(1)(E)) is amended--

(1) by striking `and' at the end of clause (vii);

(2) by inserting `and' after the semicolon at the end of clause (viii); and

(3) by inserting after clause (viii) the following new clause:

`(ix) hazing;'.

(b) DEFINITION- Section 485(f) of such Act is further amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(7) For purposes of this subsection, the term `hazing' has the meaning provided in section 484(s)(2).'.

END