Gov. Edwards signs off on hazing and restoration of voting rights bills

4th June 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Devon Sanders
Contributing Writer

(LSU Manship School News Service) — Four bills to stop hazing were signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards Thursday.

Edwards also signed legislation that would restore voting rights to felons on parole five years after their release from prison.

The antihazing bills make hazing a felony, strengthen penalties for those who are involved or aware of hazing and require universities to create hazing prevention training.

Rae Ann Gruver, mother of Maxwell Gruver, an LSU freshman who died after he was forced to drink six times the legal alcohol limit at a fraternity house, said that the laws send a message to the entire country.

“Hazing is a problem across the country and things need to change,” Gruver said. “The culture needs to change on hazing. Four bills going through today related to hazing is huge. It says a lot about where the problem is. So I think people need to start standing up and taking action and make the change happen.”

“It’s amazing how quickly all of this came together,” her husband, Stephen Gruver, added. “It really says a lot for the state for how big of an issue this is.”

While Edwards said the laws were a step in the right direction, he also warned that the problem of hazing would not be solved through this legislation alone.

“Certainly, today does not mark the finish line,” Edwards said. “This is not mission accomplished. This is a good start to what is going to be an ongoing process. But I am confident that we are making good progress, and it’s up to us to do everything in our power to ensure that students who attend Louisiana schools are in fact safe from harm.”

Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette, who created the “Max Gruver Act,” which increased the penalties for hazing by making it a felony instead of a misdemeanor, commended the Gruvers for their braveness.

“I really admire the Gruvers for what they have done in turning their grief into action to save future lives,” Landry said.

Lianne Kowiak, a hazing prevention advocate from North Carolina whose son died as a result of hazing, said seeing the bills become law gave her the courage to do the same.

“This is something that I am aspiring to do for the state of North Carolina,” she said. “It was tough in the beginning, but I’m approaching the 10-year anniversary, and this is something I want to do so that other children are not killed or effected by hazing.”

Lily Gruver, Maxwell’s sister, said she was happy to see the legislation become law.

“It made me really happy because my brother passed away from it, and nobody really did much about it at first,” she said. “It made me happy that it became a law, and it will protect other people.”

The bill to restore felon voting rights, sponsored by Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, was voted down by the House twice in the regular session before it passed 61-39 in May. With the governor’s signature, the legislation will take effect next March 1.

Paul Braun contributed to this report.

This article originally published in the June 04, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.