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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Massachusetts MMA Bill Heads To House
The Massachusetts State Senate on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at regulating mixed martial arts to the House of Representatives, the final step before the bill goes to the Governor's desk.
"An Act To Regulate The Sport of Mixed Martial Arts," authored by senator James E. Timilty, passed by a 34-1 vote, with no arguments raised on the floor during session. Senator Timilty, who represents the counties of Bristol and Norfolk, told MMAInsider he was very encouraged by the bill's progress.
"I'll take that vote any day," he said.
The bill will now undergo the House "engrossment" process, wherein the legislation will be read three separate times by different committees in the chamber. The House Ways and Means Committee, which examines bills with fiscal implications, will review the bill first.
Senator Timilty hoped the bill would clear the house in the next month to pave way for a major promoter, presumably the UFC, to put Massachusetts on its schedule.
The UFC has released an economic study naming Boston and Worcester as potential destinations for the promotion.
"Maybe they’d entertain a winter show in a large city in the Commonwealth," he said.Labels: Boston, Massachusetts, MMA
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:01 PM
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
MMA Bill Inches A Step Closer In Massachusetts
Legalized MMA is inching closer to reality in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday passed "An Act To Regulate The Sport Of Mixed Martial Arts" with a favorable review, clearing it for a debate and vote on the Senate floor.
There are still more steps to go. If the Senate passes the bill, it will be read in the House and examined for amendments, and any amendments suggested by the House will need to be approved by the Senate.
If the bill gets through the amendment process, called "engrossing," the House and Senate will vote on whether to enact the bill.
From there, the bill goes to the Governor, who signs, vetoes, or amends the legislation.
It's a long and exhausting process, but so far, all signs have been pointing in the right direction, meaning we could see MMA in Boston by the end of the year or early 2010.Labels: Boston, Massachusetts, MMA, UFC
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:51 PM
Friday, April 3, 2009
New York Senator Reilly Distributes Anti-MMA Document Among Legislators
New York State Assemblyman Bob Reilly has drafted a document outlining his arguments against the legalization of MMA in New York state.
This week, the paper was distributed to members of the Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development Committee, according to a source in Reilly's Albany office. The committee, chaired by Assemblyman Steve Englebright, is expected to vote on bill that could regulate the sport by the year's end.
A vote on the bill, titled A.2009-A, has been delayed due to legislature addressing the state's budget shortfall.
The budget was passed last week, but the bill has yet to be put on the committee's agenda, according to sources MMAInsider spoke to.
Last June, a similar bill titled A.11458-A did not pass the committee after it was unable to come to a formal vote.
Subsequently, Mr. Reilly emerged as a self-proclaimed "accidental opposition" to the legalization of the sport. In January, Mr. Reilly gave an interview to MMAWeekly.com where he outlined many of the arguments now formalized in the document.
In addition to the arguments outlined in the paper, Mr. Reilly claims he was verbally threatened by mixed martial arts proponents and reported the threats to New York State Police.
MMAInsider has posted a copy of the paper here, just click on the link to download it in PDF format.
ReillyMMA.pdfLabels: Bob Reilly, MMA, UFC
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 7:38 PM
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