Benninghoff WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Bellefonte, this week led the effort to advance H.R. 5646 — the Stop Campus Hazing Act — through the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Thompson said this legislation, the result of tireless advocacy from affected families, campus safety professionals, and dedicated organizations, addresses the persistent problem of hazing on college campuses around the country, protects students, educates parents, and increases transparency.
Thompson said hazing is a serious threat to life and safety on campus but is currently not required to be reported as a campus crime statistic at the federal level.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act would require institutions to report hazing incidents in their Annual Security Report — also known as their Clery Report — and enact a responsible definition of hazing that holds perpetrators accountable and protects students nationwide. The bill also streamlines reporting requirements by respecting state law and includes several transparency measures to ensure students, parents, and the public can access information about hazing incidents within any student organization.
Thompson said the bill was shaped by the efforts of Evelyn and Jim Piazza, whose son, Tim Piazza, tragically passed away in February 2017, at Penn State as a direct result of a hazing ritual at his fraternity. Their advocacy led to the establishment of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State, whose research helped shape the Stop Campus Hazing Act and led to the enactment of some of the strongest anti-hazing laws anywhere in the country in Pennsylvania.
“Hazing is simply not an acceptable behavior and one that can lead to great bodily harm, even death, leaving families struggling with the loss of their loved one, changing the trajectory of their lives forever,” Rep. Thompson said. “The legislation I offered today will bring about much-needed transparency and accountability, but most importantly, it will help protect students nationwide in an effort to ensure that no one will have to experience what the Piazza family has over these past seven years. My heart goes out to Evelyn and Jim Piazza and my sincere appreciation for their perseverance and continued advocacy.”
“We are extremely grateful for Rep. Thompson’s long-time support of anti-hazing legislation at the federal level and the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s passage of the Stop Campus Hazing Act,” Evelyn and Jim Piazza said. “We have worked tirelessly for several years with other families from the Anti-Hazing Coalition to bring this legislation forward. No parent should have to experience what our family experienced after the death of our son Tim due to fraternity hazing at Penn State. This important legislation would help end hazing for good by providing much-needed transparency by universities, similar to what is already in place in Pennsylvania and some other states, for future generations of parents and students seeking to join student organizations on campus.”
This bipartisan legislation is supported by the National Panhellenic Conference, the North American Interfraternity Conference, the Clery Center, and the Anti-Hazing Coalition.
Pa. House Republicans get results on reducing outdated regulations, red tape
Pennsylvania House Republicans this week announced that the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) — which is responsible for final approval of all state government regulations — has adopted recommendations from six House committees to repeal outdated and unneeded regulations.
The action follows a coordinated effort by House Republicans in September of 2022 to request that IRRC review scores of regulations under Section 8.1 of the Regulatory Review Act.
“In some cases, our research uncovered regulations that existed in the books before IRRC was created in 1982 and had never been reviewed,” said House Republican Appropriations Chairman Seth Grove, R – York. “The formal requests made by the House Aging and Older Adult Services, Children and Youth, Health, Labor and Industry, Judiciary, and State Government Committees to IRRC covered 10 government agencies with questionable regulations.”
Grove, then House State Government chairman, and State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Center/Mifflin), then House Republican leader, worked together in the 2021-22 session to increase attention on the regulatory process following unscrupulous regulations promulgated by Gov. Wolf during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The actions by IRRC this week are a huge step forward for Pennsylvania, but a reminder we still have more work to do,” said Benninghoff, who currently serves as Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee. “Today’s report proves that other agencies must still have outdated regulations on the books. We should formally ask IRRC to review agencies not covered in this report immediately.”
“Utilizing existing legislative authority under Section 8.1 of the Regulatory Review Act, House Republican committee chairs showed what leadership looks like,” Grove added. “Rather than creating more government to improve Pennsylvania’s regulatory environment, we reduced unneeded red tape with the tools we already have.”
According to IRRC, the six committee letters involved the review of 40 prior rule-makings, 103 chapters of regulations, and two sub-chapters within the ten agencies covered.
At the September 2024 meeting, all five IRRC commissioners voted in the affirmative for recommendations broken down by five agencies. The Departments of Aging, Corrections, Health, Labor and Industry, and State were all included in the final report. The unanimous votes demonstrate the strong consensus on the need for regulatory reform.
Rep. Haddock lauds $106,760 for law enforcement upgrades
Building on his strong commitment to keeping communities safe, state Rep. Jim Haddock said he was glad to see $106,760 awarded this week by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to local police departments.
“These grants will give our municipal law enforcement officers up-to-date technology, which will allow them to file more accurate reports with the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System and ultimately will give them better information when responding to emergency situations,” said Haddock, D-Pittston Township.
The following police departments in the 118th Legislative District will receive $13,345 grants for the software, hardware, and labor needed to install NIBRS-compliant record management systems, as well as training on how to collect and submit the data: Avoca Borough, Dupont Borough, Duryea Borough, Hughestown Borough, Jenkins Township, Pittston City, Pittston Township and Wyoming Area Regional Police.
Haddock said PCCD this week approved $80 million to improve crime reporting, help law enforcement upgrade equipment, support victims of crime and victim service providers, and support county jail-based medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorder.
Rep. Cabell invites seniors to scam seminar in Dallas on Oct. 7
In his continuing effort to educate older residents about the latest financial fraud schemes and how to protect themselves, Rep. Mike Cabell, R-Butler Township, will host a scam seminar on Monday, Oct. 7, in Dallas.
The free event will begin at noon at the Meadows Manor Community Room, 200 Lake St. The doors will open at 10:30 a.m. A complimentary lunch will be provided at 11:15 a.m.
“Seniors are frequent targets of these unscrupulous scammers, who are always coming up with new ways to steal their money,” said Cabell. “Area seniors are encouraged to join us and learn how to avoid becoming a scam victim.”
The seminar will be led by David Shallcross, director of senior protection with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Topics to be covered include safety tips and the latest holiday scams.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling Cabell’s Dallas office at — 570-675-6000. The registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 30.
Bill introduced to require funding for veterans care before declaration of war or use of military force
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pittsburgh, and U.S. Navy veteran, and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California and U.S. Air Force veteran, this week introduced their bill — the Full Cost of War Act.
This bill would require the inclusion of an authorization of funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a part of any authorization for use of military force or declaration of war. This means that from the get-go, the government will prioritize the cost of care, disability compensation, and any other earned benefit for service-members involved in the war or operation.
“Our men and women in uniform bear the cost of serving and fighting our wars,” Deluzio said. “The way I see it, this country has a sacred obligation to care for my fellow veterans after they risk it all and serve this country. If our government cannot promise to pay for these veterans’ care, we should not send them off to war. This bill — the Full Cost of War Act — will help fund these critical services ahead of any AUMF or declaration of war, making sure that Congress doesn’t play games with funding veterans care down the road.”
“The decision to authorize the use of military force is the most consequential that a Member of Congress is ever asked to make,” Lieu said. “We owe it to our brave men and women in uniform to ensure they are taken care of – during and after service. This bill would ensure that when Congress authorizes military force, we also authorize funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fully provide for veterans’ medical care, disability compensation, and other earned benefits. I am pleased to join a fellow veteran, Congressman Chris Deluzio, in this important effort to care for our veterans now and into the future.”
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