February 12, 2004, Introduced by Senators PATTERSON, KUIPERS, GOSCHKA, LELAND, SCHAUER and HARDIMAN and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.
A bill to amend 1980 PA 299, entitled
"Occupational code,"
by amending sections 805a, 806b, 810, 811, and 812 (MCL 339.805a,
339.806b, 339.810, 339.811, and 339.812), sections 805a, 810,
811, and 812 as amended and section 806b as added 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.
1 (c) Competing contestants are prohibited from boxing for more
2 than 12 minutes on each contest day.
3 (d) The contestants participating in the elimination contest
4 are insured by the promoter for all medical and hospital expenses
5 to be paid to the contestants to cover injuries sustained in the
6 contest.
7 (e) A licensed physician is in attendance at ringside and the
8 physician has authority to stop the contest for medical reasons.
9 (f) All contestants pass a physical examination given by a
10 licensed physician or a certified nurse practitioner before the
11 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, certified nurse practitioner, or
10 other trained person shall administer a preliminary breath test
11 in compliance with standards imposed in rules promulgated by the
12 department of state police regarding equipment calibration and
13 methods of administration.
14 (3) The promoter shall keep a log of preliminary breath test
15 results of contestants on file at its place of business for at
16 least 3 years after the date of administration of the test.
17 These results shall be made available to law enforcement
18 officials upon request.
19 (4) An elimination contest held pursuant to this section is
20 not considered to be in violation of the law.
21 Sec. 806b. (1) A person seeking a license under this
22 article as a judge or referee may be required to satisfactorily
23 pass an examination acceptable to the board and the department.
24 (2) A person seeking a license under this article as a judge,
25 referee, or boxer shall pass a physical examination, which is
26 performed by a licensed physician or a certified nurse
27 practitioner, acceptable to the board and present evidence of
1 passage to the department.
2 (3) The department shall issue a license without an
3 examination to a person who is licensed under this article on
4 the effective date of
the amendatory act that added this
5 section December 1,
1995 upon application on a form
provided by
6 the department.
7 Sec. 810. (1) A professional boxing contest shall be of not
8 more than 10 rounds in length, except a contest which involves a
9 national or international championship may last not more than 20
10 rounds in the determination of the department. The contestants
11 shall wear during a contest gloves weighing at least 6 ounces
12 each. Rounds shall be not longer than 3 minutes, with not less
13 than 1-minute rest between rounds.
14 (2) A contestant in a professional or amateur boxing contest
15 shall be certified to be in proper physical condition by an
16 individual licensed as a physician or certified as a nurse
17 practitioner before participating in a boxing contest.
18 Sec. 811. (1) At the expense of a promoter or boxing club,
19 a physician shall be in
attendance at each boxing contest. The
20 physician A physician or certified nurse practitioner
shall
21 observe the physical condition of the boxers and advise the
22 referee or judges with regard to the health of the contestants.
23 The physician or certified nurse practitioner shall examine each
24 boxer before entering the ring.
25 (2) A promoter or boxing club shall file with the department
26 the report of the physical examination of a contestant not later
27 than 24 hours after termination of the contest.
1 (3) If, in the opinion of the physician or certified nurse
2 practitioner, the health or safety of a boxer requires that the
3 contest in which he or she is participating be terminated, the
4 physician or certified nurse practitioner shall notify the
5 referee. The referee shall terminate the contest.
6 Sec. 812. If a boxer loses consciousness during or as a
7 result of a contest in which he or she participates, he or she
8 shall not again be eligible to participate in a contest in this
9 state unless examined by a physician or certified nurse
10 practitioner appointed by the department and unless the physician
11 or certified nurse practitioner certifies the boxer's fitness to
12 participate. The boxer shall pay the cost of the examination.