HOUSE BILL No. 5275

 

November 6, 2003, Introduced by Rep. Rivet and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1980 PA 299, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Occupational code,"                                                        

                                                                                

    by amending sections 801, 804, 805, 805a, 806, and 807 (MCL                 

                                                                                

    339.801, 339.804, 339.805, 339.805a, 339.806, and 339.807),                 

                                                                                

    sections 801, 804, 805, 805a, and 806 as amended by 1995 PA 217.            

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 801.  As used in this article:                                         

                                                                                

2       (a) "Amateur" means a person who is not competing and has                   

                                                                                

3   never competed for a money prize or who is not competing and has            

                                                                                

4   not competed with or against a professional for a prize.  Amateur           

                                                                                

5   does not include an individual competing in an elimination                  

                                                                                

6   contest conducted under section 805a.                                       

                                                                                

7       (b) "Boxing club" means an organization affiliated with USA                 

                                                                                

8   boxing.                                                                     

                                                                                

9       (c) "Professional" means a person who is competing or has                   

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   competed for a money prize.                                                 

                                                                                

2       (d) "School", "college", or "university" does not include an                

                                                                                

3   institution formed or operated principally to provide instruction           

                                                                                

4   in boxing and other sports.                                                 

                                                                                

5       Sec. 804.  (1) A boxing match or exhibition for prizes or                   

                                                                                

6   purses, or for which an admission fee is charged or received, may           

                                                                                

7   be held within the state, subject to the direction, management,             

                                                                                

8   and control of the department.  An elimination contest conducted            

                                                                                

9   under section 805a is subject to the direction, management, and             

                                                                                

10  control of the department.                                                  

                                                                                

11      (2) This article does not apply to boxing matches or                        

                                                                                

12  exhibitions conducted by or participated in exclusively by a                

                                                                                

13  department or agency of the United States government or by a                

                                                                                

14  school, college, or university or by an association or                      

                                                                                

15  organization composed exclusively of these schools, colleges, or            

                                                                                

16  universities if each contestant in the match or exhibition is an            

                                                                                

17  amateur.                                                                    

                                                                                

18      Sec. 805.  (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection                   

                                                                                

19  (2), a boxing match or exhibition shall not be held or conducted            

                                                                                

20  within this state  ,  except under a license issued by the                  

                                                                                

21  department pursuant to this article  ,  and the rules promulgated           

                                                                                

22  under this act.  An elimination contest under section 805a shall            

                                                                                

23  not be held or conducted in this state except under a limited               

                                                                                

24  elimination contest license issued by the department to the                 

                                                                                

25  promoter pursuant to this article and in compliance with section            

                                                                                

26  805a.                                                                       

                                                                                

27      (2) The department may issue, without the payment of a fee, a               


                                                                                

1   license to hold a boxing match or exhibition between                        

                                                                                

2   professionals under the sponsorship of a civic organization or              

                                                                                

3   veterans' group if held for charitable purposes.                            

                                                                                

4       Sec. 805a.  (1) This article  does not apply  applies to                    

                                                                                

5   boxing  elimination contests.  in which all of the following               

                                                                                

6   apply:  The elimination contest venue shall be a facility with a            

                                                                                

7   legal minimum seating capacity of at least 1,000 people.  The               

                                                                                

8   promoter shall obtain from the department a limited contest                 

                                                                                

9   license at or before the time of the scheduled event for each               

                                                                                

10  contestant in an elimination contest.  As part of the application           

                                                                                

11  and approval process for the limited contest license, the                   

                                                                                

12  promoter shall present verification from the contestant, in a               

                                                                                

13  form acceptable to the department, of at least 30 days' prior               

                                                                                

14  training and of a history of any injuries received in any                   

                                                                                

15  professional or amateur bout or in any other elimination contest            

                                                                                

16  in this or another state within the preceding 3 years.  The                 

                                                                                

17  following apply to elimination contests:                                    

                                                                                

18      (a) The contestants compete for prizes only  in elimination                 

                                                                                

19  contests  and are not also professional boxers competing in 4 or            

                                                                                

20  more rounds of nonelimination boxing.                                       

                                                                                

21      (b) Each bout is scheduled to consist of 3 or fewer 1-minute                

                                                                                

22  rounds, with contests conducted on no more than 2 consecutive               

                                                                                

23  calendar days.                                                              

                                                                                

24      (c) Competing contestants are prohibited from boxing for more               

                                                                                

25  than 12 minutes on each contest day.                                        

                                                                                

26      (d) The contestants participating in the elimination contest                

                                                                                

27  are insured by the promoter, for not less than $50,000.00, for              


                                                                                

1   all medical and hospital expenses to be paid to the contestants             

                                                                                

2   to cover injuries sustained in the contest and for not less than            

                                                                                

3   $5,000.00 to be paid in accordance with the statutes of descent             

                                                                                

4   and distribution of personal property if the contestant should              

                                                                                

5   die as a result of injuries received in the contest.                        

                                                                                

6       (e) A licensed physician is in attendance at ringside and the               

                                                                                

7   physician has authority to stop the contest for medical reasons             

                                                                                

8   and an ambulance and qualified emergency medical technician is              

                                                                                

9   present at the contest facility during the bouts.                           

                                                                                

10      (f) All contestants pass a physical examination given by a                  

                                                                                

11  licensed physician before the contest.                                      

                                                                                

12      (g) A preliminary breath test is administered to each                       

                                                                                

13  contestant which indicates a blood alcohol content of .02% or               

                                                                                

14  less.                                                                       

                                                                                

15      (h) The promoter conducts the elimination contest in                        

                                                                                

16  compliance with the following:                                              

                                                                                

17                                                                               (i) A contestant who has lost by a technical knockout is not                        

                                                                                

18  permitted to compete again for a period of 30 calendar days or              

                                                                                

19  until the contestant has submitted to the promoter the results of           

                                                                                

20  a physical examination equivalent to that required of                       

                                                                                

21  professional boxers.                                                        

                                                                                

22      (ii) The ringside physician examines a contestant who has                    

                                                                                

23  been knocked out in an elimination contest or whose fight has               

                                                                                

24  been stopped by the referee because he or she received hard blows           

                                                                                

25  to the head that made him or her defenseless or incapable of                

                                                                                

26  continuing immediately after the knockout or stoppage.  The                 

                                                                                

27  ringside physician may recommend post-fight neurological                    


                                                                                

1   examinations, which may include computerized axial tomography               

                                                                                

2   (CAT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to be performed            

                                                                                

3   on the contestant immediately after the contestant leaves the               

                                                                                

4   location of the contest.  The promoter shall not permit the                 

                                                                                

5   contestant to compete until a physician has certified that the              

                                                                                

6   contestant is fit to compete.  If the physician recommended                 

                                                                                

7   further neurological examinations, the promoter shall not permit            

                                                                                

8   the contestant to compete until the promoter receives copies of             

                                                                                

9   examination reports demonstrating that the contestant is fit to             

                                                                                

10  compete.                                                                    

                                                                                

11      (iii) The promoter shall require that a contestant who has                   

                                                                                

12  sustained a severe injury or knockout in an elimination contest             

                                                                                

13  be examined by a physician.  The promoter shall not permit the              

                                                                                

14  contestant to compete until the physician has certified that the            

                                                                                

15  contestant has fully recovered.                                             

                                                                                

16      (iv) The promoter shall not permit a contestant to compete in                

                                                                                

17  an elimination contest for a period of not less than 60 days if             

                                                                                

18  he or she has been knocked out or has received excessive hard               

                                                                                

19  blows to the head that required the fight to be stopped.                    

                                                                                

20      (v) A contestant who has been knocked out twice in a period                 

                                                                                

21  of 3 months or who has had excessive head blows causing a fight             

                                                                                

22  to be stopped shall not be permitted by a promoter to participate           

                                                                                

23  in an elimination contest for a period of not less than 120 days            

                                                                                

24  from the second knockout or stoppage.                                       

                                                                                

25      (vi) A contestant who has been knocked out or had excessive                  

                                                                                

26  hard blows to the head causing a fight to be stopped 3 times                

                                                                                

27  consecutively in a period of 12 months shall not be permitted by            


                                                                                

1   a promoter to participate in an elimination contest for a period            

                                                                                

2   of 1 year from the third knockout.                                          

                                                                                

3       (vii) Before resuming competition after any of the periods of                

                                                                                

4   rest prescribed in subparagraphs (iv), (v), and (vi), a promoter              

                                                                                

5   shall require the contestant to produce a certification by a                

                                                                                

6   physician stating that the contestant is fit to take part in an             

                                                                                

7   elimination contest.                                                        

                                                                                

8       (2) As part of the physical examination given before the                    

                                                                                

9   contest, the licensed physician or other trained person shall               

                                                                                

10  administer a preliminary breath test in compliance with standards           

                                                                                

11  imposed in rules promulgated by the department of state police              

                                                                                

12  regarding equipment calibration and methods of administration.              

                                                                                

13      (3) The promoter shall keep a log of preliminary breath test                

                                                                                

14  results of contestants on file at its place of business for at              

                                                                                

15  least 3 years after the date of administration of the test.                 

                                                                                

16  These results shall be made available to law enforcement                    

                                                                                

17  officials upon request.                                                     

                                                                                

18      (4) An elimination contest not held pursuant to this section                

                                                                                

19  is  not  considered to be in violation of  the law  section 442             

                                                                                

20  of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.442.                       

                                                                                

21      Sec. 806.  (1) A promoter, boxing club, physician, referee,                 

                                                                                

22  judge, matchmaker, timekeeper, announcer, professional boxer, or            

                                                                                

23  a manager, or second of those persons shall obtain a license from           

                                                                                

24  the department before participating either directly or indirectly           

                                                                                

25  in a boxing contest.  In the case of an elimination contest                 

                                                                                

26  conducted pursuant to section 805a, only the referee is required            

                                                                                

27  to be licensed.                                                             


                                                                                

1       (2) A person shall not profit directly or indirectly from a                 

                                                                                

2   boxing contest or elimination contest or participate directly or            

                                                                                

3   indirectly in the contest or in the receipts from a contest                 

                                                                                

4   unless that contest is licensed by the department in advance                

                                                                                

5   under the classifications designated in this article.                       

                                                                                

6       (3) Each application for a license or limited license shall                 

                                                                                

7   be in writing, shall be verified by the applicant, and shall set            

                                                                                

8   forth those facts requested by and conform to the rules                     

                                                                                

9   promulgated by the department, jointly with the board.                      

                                                                                

10      (4) The department shall issue a passport with each                         

                                                                                

11  professional boxer's license.                                               

                                                                                

12      (5) Each applicant for a license as a promoter, referee, or                 

                                                                                

13  judge shall be of good moral character.                                     

                                                                                

14      Sec. 807.  (1) A contestant participating in a boxing or                    

                                                                                

15  sparring match or exhibition shall be insured for not less than             

                                                                                

16  $1,000.00  $50,000.00 for medical and hospital expenses to be              

                                                                                

17  paid to the contestant to cover injuries sustained in the                   

                                                                                

18  contest, and for not less than $5,000.00 to be paid in accordance           

                                                                                

19  with the statutes of descent and distribution of personal                   

                                                                                

20  property if the contestant should die as a result of injuries               

                                                                                

21  received in a boxing or sparring match or exhibition.                       

                                                                                

22      (2) A promoter of a boxing match or exhibition between                      

                                                                                

23  professionals shall insure each contestant participating in the             

                                                                                

24  boxing match or exhibition in the amounts described in                      

                                                                                

25  subsection (1).