Bill to make hazing a gross misdemeanor in honor of WSU student passes state Senate

A state bill making hazing a gross misdemeanor is now one step closer to becoming law.

The Sam Martinez Stop Hazing Act passed the state Senate 48-to-0 on Wednesday and now heads back to the House for a procedural vote.

The bill passed the House unanimously last month.

If a victim sustains serious injuries in a hazing incident, it could be considered a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

The family of Sam Martinez, a Washington State University freshman who died of acute alcohol intoxication after hazing at his fraternity in 2019, has fought hard to strengthen the state’s current hazing law, which classifies the crime as a low-level misdemeanor.

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