An anti-hazing bill is one step closer to Gov. Tom Wolf's desk.

In the wake of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza's hazing death, the Pennsylvania Senate in April passed its anti-hazing legislation, and the state House voted unanimously yesterday to adopt the wide-ranging measure.

The driving force behind this rewrite of the state's anti-hazing law was the advocacy efforts of Jim and Evelyn Piazza of Lebanon, New Jersey, whose son, Timothy, died on Feb. 4, 2017, a little more than 24 hours after he suffered fatal internal injuries in a series of drunken falls following his acceptance of a bid to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University.

"We are embarking on the final steps in a long journey for Tim's family who have turned their personal tragedy in to a mission to save others," Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said in a press release yesterday. "It has been my honor to walk with them as we work toward comprehensively rewriting the state's hazing laws in order to prevent death or serious injury due to hazing. I am grateful for the House's support."

Cormon, who first introduced the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-hazing Law in March, said it focuses on prevention, enforcement and transparency in order to end hazing.

He noted the House amended the bill, meaning it will have to come back to the Senate for another vote. Corman intends to bring it before the full Senate next week.

"In making these changes, we are establishing a model for strengthening anti-hazing laws nationwide," Corman said. "This law will provide prosecutors with the tools they need to fully prosecute those who engage in hazing-related activities. Students will have information they need to make informed choices about the groups they consider joining and safe harbor provisions so they can call for help for someone in distress without fear of prosecution."

The proposed bill increases penalties for those involved in hazing, requires schools to have policies and reporting procedures in place to stop hazing and ensures parents and students are provided with information related to the issue. It also establishes clear-cut parameters on hazing for organizations such as fraternities and sororities.

"No family should ever have to experience the preventable loss of a child because of the reckless and despicable act of hazing," state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff of Centre and Mifflin counties said in praising the passage of the legislation. "I pray this law will serve as a strong deterrent for those who might attempt to haze and intimidate their peers, and also provide law enforcement with the tools they need to pursue justice for victims."