An anti-hazing bill that was proposed in part in response to the death of a Washington State University student, appears headed toward passing the Washington state Legislature.

House Bill 1751, which is now being amended to formally change its name to “Sam’s Law,” received broad bipartisan support in what advocates say will change the culture of college life by increasing transparency and education around hazing.

If signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, the law would update the state’s 30-year-old definition of hazing and require higher education institutions to make public all reports from hazing investigations.

The bill is named in honor of Sam Martinez, a 19-year-old WSU student from Bellevue who died as a result of hazing while pledging the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity in 2019. Martinez’s parents, Jolayne Houtz and Hector Martinez, have worked with lawmakers and higher education stakeholders to create anti-hazing legislation in their son’s memory.

“We feel so honored to have this law named after our son. It was incredibly moving,” said Houtz, a former Seattle Times reporter. “I can’t think of a better way to honor our son’s memory than to ensure that what happened to him never happens to anyone else again.”

The bill is modeled from a comparable piece of Ohio legislation passed last year. “Collin’s Law” grew from a similar tragedy that befell the family of Collin Wiant, a freshman at Ohio University, who died in a hazing incident while pledging Sigma Pi fraternity. Like Collin’s Law, Sam’s Law emphasizes university accountability and hazing prevention education. It would require all institutions of higher learning in the state to provide anti-hazing trainings at the beginning of every school year, and mandates that school employees report allegations of hazing.

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Washington colleges and universities, as well as any fraternities or sororities with chapters on their campuses, also would be required to publicly post all results of hazing investigations they’ve conducted within the last five years. Should the bill become law, these requirements would be in effect for the 2022-23 school year.

During the Senate proceedings Thursday morning, Lt. Gov. Danny Heck acknowledged Houtz and Martinez’s presence in the gallery, thanking them for their dedication to the bill’s cause.

“There is no greater burden and no greater pain than that which you have experienced,” Heck said in an emotional address to Houtz and Martinez. “May it be in time, some very small measure of comfort that your unbelievable efforts and advocacy since Sam’s passing mean that no other parent has to experience that again.”

A related bill would have changed hazing from a misdemeanor to a felony, though legislators ran out of time to bring it up during this year’s 60-day legislative session. According to Houtz, the prime sponsor of both bills, Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-Tacoma, has pledged to bring back the second bill next session.

“I think that Sam’s story, our story, moved people, and it was tremendous to see people come together in a bipartisan way to support common sense legislation, and send a message that we care about our teens and our young adults,” said Houtz. “I couldn’t wish for a better outcome.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that House Bill 1751 had passed the Legislature. An amendment to change the name of the bill to “Sam’s Law” was added and must receive approval from the House and Senate.