Lautenberg Re-Introduces Tyler Clementi Anti-Harassment Bill Targeting Colleges

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) is reintroducing legislation , who tragically committed suicide after allegedly suffering from bullying by his Rutgers university dormmates.

The act would require college campuses to have anti-harassment policies on the books and will also provide funding for colleges to establish of expand programs with the aim of preventing student harassment.

"The tragic impact of bullying has the attention of the entire nation, from forums at the White House to conversations around dinner tables, and we must all take steps to prevent harassment,” said Lautenberg in a statement released March 10. The bill has been introduced in both the Senate and House as the "Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act."

While Lautenberg admitted it's impossible to entirely to press out harassment between peers, "there should be a clear code of conduct at all universities to prohibit harassment,” he said.

The two accused of harassing Clementi–Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei–have denied guilt in the alleged September incidents. Prosecutors say Ravi transmitted sexually explicit images of Clementi in a romantic moment with another man. Wei, prosecutors say, is alleged to be complicit in the incidents.

Clementi lept from the George Washington Bridge days after one of the alleged incidents and he reported the allegations of harassment to his residential assistant (RA). Rutgers Unversity spokesmen said the university did have anti-harassment policies on the books but fought prosecutors' requests for information on their investigation of the alleged harassment.

Clementi's passing prompted significant discussion on harassment, gay rights issues and suicide internationally. Numerous scholarships and articles legislation have been crafted in response to his tragic story.

Lautenberg's bill, co-sponsored by Rush Holt (D-NJ-12) is supported by Garden State Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Women’s Law Center, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Anti-Defamation League, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the Trevor Project, Security on Campus, Inc., National Center for Transgender Equality, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund.

"We can’t legislate tolerance, but we can work to make campuses a more positive and safe atmosphere,” Holt said in a statement.