HOUSE BILL REPORT

SB 5464

As Amended by the House

BYSenators von Reichbauer, Moore, Johnson, Gaspard and McCaslin

Changing provisions relating to boxing and wrestling.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; Anderson, Vice Chair; McLean, Ranking Republican Member; Hankins, R. King, Morris, O'Brien, Rector and Sayan.

House Staff:Barbara McLain (786-7135)

AS PASSED HOUSE APRIL 4, 1989

BACKGROUND:

Since 1933, the State Boxing Commission has licensed and supervised all boxing, wrestling, karate, sumo, and judo events occurring in the state.  It also regulates live, closed circuit telecasts of these events.

Regulations cover such topics as mandatory medical examinations of boxers and wrestlers, licensure and bonds required of anyone who conducts a boxing or wrestling match, and suspension and revocation of licenses for violations of commission rules.  Fake or sham matches (where the outcome is predetermined) are prohibited.

In a 1980 report, the Legislative Budget Committee recommended that professional wrestling no longer be licensed by the commission.  The Legislature has considered several bills to de-regulate wrestling in recent years.

SUMMARY:

The State Boxing Commission is renamed the State Professional Athletic Commission, and the following changes are made to the statutes governing the commission's activities:

Wrestling:  The definition of "boxing" no longer includes wrestling.  A "wrestling exhibition or show" is defined as a form of sports entertainment where participants do not necessarily strive to win, or where the outcome may be predetermined.

Medical examinations of wrestlers and an attending physician at a wrestling show are no longer required, but may be requested by the commission.  Wrestlers who fail an exam may not participate in the show.  Commission-appointed inspectors need not supervise wrestling shows.  Wrestling promoters hire their own referees, who must still be licensed by the commission.

Names of both boxers and wrestlers must be submitted to the commission seven days prior to an event (increased from three days prior), but changes to wrestling participants can be made up to 24 hours before a show as long as the replacement is a licensed wrestler.

Wrestling shows, promoters, and wrestlers are no longer included under the prohibition against sham or fake matches.  Wrestlers are prohibited from cutting themselves during a show or striking a non-licensed participant.

Promoters:  "Promoters" are specifically defined as persons who produce, arrange, or stage professional boxing or wrestling events.  The bond required of wrestling promoters and closed circuit telecasts remains at $1,000 in cities of 150,000 or less, and $2,500 in cities of 150,000 or more, but the bond for boxing promoters is increased to $10,000.

Promoters are also required to: a) have an ambulance or paramedical unit either present or on-call within five miles of an event, b) ensure that adequate security personnel attend an event, c) keep ticket stubs for three months after a match or show, and d) restrict the number of complimentary tickets to 2 percent of the total sold at an event.  Boxing promoters must obtain medical insurance to cover the boxers at a match.

Miscellaneous:  Anyone who participates in or promotes a boxing or wrestling event without a license is guilty of a misdemeanor.  Participants' licenses are to be revoked upon conviction under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

The minimum weight for boxing gloves is increased from six to eight ounces.

Fiscal Note:      Requested March 23, 1989.

Effective Date:The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Senator Peter von Reichbauer, prime sponsor; Don Brazier and Tom Owen, Titan Sports; and John Ryan, Attorney General's Office.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The bill is the result of a task force looking at regulation of boxing and wrestling.  Professional wrestling has become a performance sport, not a competitive sport, and should not be regulated in the same way as boxing.  Adding "Professional" to the commission's title signals that there is no intent to regulate amateur athletics.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.