State lawmakers have advanced a bill to make it easier for Louisiana colleges and universities to punish individuals and organizations that engage in hazing that ends with death or serious harm.
House Bill 738 by Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, was approved Wednesday by the House Education Committee. It would clear up legislation McMakin got approved in 2024 to require schools to abide by a higher standard of evidence in any student discipline case where the punishment is expulsion or at least a 10-day suspension.
Before McMakin’s law took effect, administrators could hold a student responsible if the evidence suggested it was slightly more likely than not that they violated school policy. Even if there was conflicting testimony, a student could be punished if evidence tipped the scale just past the 50% likelihood…