A bill that would increase the legal penalties for hazing was debated during a Washington State House Committee public hearing on Monday. House Bill 1002 would make hazing a gross misdemeanor as opposed to a simple misdemeanor as it is now. Any hazing that results in "substantial body harm" also would be reclassified as a class C felony. A gross misdemeanor carries a maximum confinement of 364 days and a maximum fine of $5,000, while a misdemeanor has a maximum confinement of 90 days and a maximum fine of $1,000. "Substantial bodily harm" includes bodily injury that involves a temporary but substantial disfigurement, causes a temporary but substantial loss or impairment of the function of any body part or organ or causes a fracture of any body part. Felony hazing carries a low-end penalty of one to three months of incarceration. Among those speaking in favor of the bill are the parents of Sam Martinez, a Bellevue teen who died in a 2019 hazing incident at Washington State University. Read more: https://www.king5.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/bill-increase-penalties-hazing-legislative-agenda/281-e8fbed66-1733-410b-b820-2100d8c68df8