In the waning days of the 2015 New York State Assembly, the bill seeking to legalize MMA in the state is being revamped in hopes of passage according to the Press & Sun Bulletin in Albany.
Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle expects to expand the MMA bill to include other legalized combative sports as well as safety regulations for all events. The proposed change would include a health insurance program funded through promoters that would cover medical bills for participants who suffer major injuries while competing in New York.
Amendments to the existing MMA bill might include a study to determine the impact of the sport in relation to brain injuries and new regulations for amateur fighting contests.
A spokesperson for the UFC appears to support the movement that is going on in the legislature at this point.
The legislative session ends June 17.
UPDATED: Below are proposed legislation from years passed which reflect changes that MMA supporters may seek. While we do not have the current changes, this is a glance of what we might see.
S5055A-2013 – NY Senate Open Legislation – Establishes Protocols for Combative Sports; Authorizes Mixed Mar… by JASONCRUZ206
Payout Perspective:
The fight for New York MMA continues and we are seeing lawmakers in support of the sport doing everything possible to get a vote on the bill – something that has not happened when Sheldon Silver served as Assembly Speaker. The concern for those fans of MMA in New York, is with the broadening of the bill to include other sports we will see advocates for boxing and other combat sports wanting to voice their views on the law. Also, if the bill were to include additional costs (i.e., health insurance, commissioning a study), how would that affect smaller promotions that may want to hold fights within the state. We shall see if a vote occurs by June 17th.
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