SENATE BILL No. 475

 

 

May 13, 2003, Introduced by Senator BARCIA and referred to the Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Regulatory Reform.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1980 PA 299, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Occupational code,"                                                        

                                                                                

    by amending sections 805a and 807 (MCL 339.805a and 339.807),               

                                                                                

    section 805a as amended by 1995 PA 217.                                     

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

2   elimination contests in which all of the following apply:                   

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

5   more rounds of nonelimination boxing.                                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

8   calendar days.                                                              

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

10  than 12 minutes on each contest day.                                        

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (d) The contestants participating in the elimination contest                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

4   to cover injuries sustained in the contest.                                 

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

6   physician has authority to stop the contest for medical reasons.            

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

8   licensed physician before the contest.                                      

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

11  less.                                                                       

                                                                                

12      (h) The promoter conducts the elimination contest in                        

                                                                                

13  compliance with the following:                                              

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

17  a physical examination equivalent to that required of                       

                                                                                

18  professional boxers.                                                        

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

23  continuing immediately after the knockout or stoppage.  The                 

                                                                                

24  ringside physician may recommend post-fight neurological                    

                                                                                

25  examinations, which may include computerized axial tomography               

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

27  on the contestant immediately after the contestant leaves the               


                                                                                

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

                                                                                

2   contestant to compete until a physician has certified that the              

                                                                                

3   contestant is fit to compete.  If the physician recommended                 

                                                                                

4   further neurological examinations, the promoter shall not permit            

                                                                                

5   the contestant to compete until the promoter receives copies of             

                                                                                

6   examination reports demonstrating that the contestant is fit to             

                                                                                

7   compete.                                                                    

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

9   sustained a severe injury or knockout in an elimination contest             

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

11  contestant to compete until the physician has certified that the            

                                                                                

12  contestant has fully recovered.                                             

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

21  from the second knockout or stoppage.                                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

26  of 1 year from the third knockout.                                          

                                                                                

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


                                                                                

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

                                                                                

2   shall require the contestant to produce a certification by a                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

4   elimination contest.                                                        

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

6   contest, the licensed physician or other trained person shall               

                                                                                

7   administer a preliminary breath test in compliance with standards           

                                                                                

8   imposed in rules promulgated by the department of state police              

                                                                                

9   regarding equipment calibration and methods of administration.              

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

13  These results shall be made available to law enforcement                    

                                                                                

14  officials upon request.                                                     

                                                                                

15      (4) An elimination contest held pursuant to this section is                 

                                                                                

16  not considered to be in violation of the law.                               

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

19  $1,000.00  $50,000.00 for medical and hospital expenses to be              

                                                                                

20  paid to the contestant to cover injuries sustained in the                   

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

22  with the statutes of descent and distribution of personal                   

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

24  received in a boxing or sparring match or exhibition.                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

26  professionals shall insure each contestant participating in the             

                                                                                

27  boxing match or exhibition in the amounts described in                      


                                                                                

1   subsection (1).