II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3180 

To require the Department of Defense to develop a plan to track and respond 

to incidents of hazing in the Armed Forces. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2012 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To require the Department of Defense to develop a plan 

to track and respond to incidents of hazing in the Armed 

Forces. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. PLAN TO TRACK AND RESPOND TO HAZING IN4 CIDENTS IN THE ARMED FORCES. 

5 (a) PLAN AND BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 

6 May 1, 2013, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to 

7 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 

8 House of Representatives a briefing and plan that outlines 

9 efforts by the Department of Defense— 

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1 (1) to prevent the hazing of members of the 

2 Armed Forces by other members of the Armed 

3 Forces; 

4 (2) to provide training on the prevention of haz5 ing to members of the Armed Forces; 

6 (3) to improve methods of reporting incidents of 

7 hazing in the Armed Forces, including anonymous 

8 reporting procedures; and 

9 (4) to respond to and resolve alleged hazing in10 cidents involving members of the Armed Forces, in11 cluding the prosecution of offenders through the use 

12 of punitive articles under chapter 47 of title 10, 

13 United States Code (the Uniform Code of Military 

14 Justice). 

15 (b) DATABASE.—The plan required by subsection (a) 

16 shall include the establishment of a database for the pur17 pose of improving the ability of the Department of De18 fense— 

19 (1) to determine the extent to which hazing in20 cidents involving members of the Armed Forces are 

21 occurring and the nature of such hazing incidents; 

22 and 

23 (2) to track, respond to, and resolve hazing in24 cidents involving members of the Armed Forces. 

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1 (c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—As part of the briefing re2 quired by subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall 

3 provide the following: 

4 (1) Recommendations for a universal definition 

5 of ‘‘hazing’’ to be used by all the Armed Forces. 

6 (2) Such recommendations for changes to the 

7 Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Manual 

8 for Courts-Martial as the Secretary considers nec9 essary to improve the prosecution of hazing inci10 dents. 

11 (d) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

12 prepare the plan, database, and recommendations required 

13 by this section in consultation with the Secretaries of the 

14 military departments. 

15 (e) HAZING DESCRIBED.—For purposes of carrying 

16 out this section, the Secretary of Defense shall use the 

17 definition of hazing contained in the August 28, 1997, 

18 Secretary of Defense Policy Memorandum, which defined 

19 hazing as any conduct whereby a member of the Armed 

20 Forces, regardless of branch or rank, without proper au21 thority causes another member to suffer, or be exposed 

22 to, any activity which is cruel, abusive, humiliating, op23 pressive, demeaning, or harmful. Soliciting or coercing an24 other person to perpetrate any such activity is also consid25 ered hazing. Hazing need not involve physical contact 

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1 among or between members of the Armed Forces. Hazing 

2 can be verbal or psychological in nature. 

Æ 

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