President Biden spent Christmas Eve signing new bills into law approving everything from the country’s official bird to protections for children in youth care facilities.
Here are a few of the most pressing pieces of holiday legislation:
Celebrity singer and actress Paris Hilton has spent months pushing for a federal law that will hold treatment centers and care facilities serving youth accountable. She made frequent appearances on Capitol Hill to encourage lawmakers to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in the House and Senate.
December proved to be a fruitful month as the Senate unanimously approved the measure and the House voted 367 to 33, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk. He signed the act into law on Tuesday, securing a political victory for Hilton, who expressed potential interest in serving as an elected official.
Biden also passed a law that creates disclosure regulations for federally funded higher learning institutions, requiring them to include reports involving campus hazing in their annual security report. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) and Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) in the House in addition to Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).
Hazing is frequently discovered to be a part of college pledging processes for on campus fraternities and sororities. More than half of college students are involved in some form of campus hazing, according to North Carolina State University.