§ 29-143j — (Formerly Sec. 21a-196). Jurisdiction of Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Investigation and inspection. Licensing fees. Registration. Regulations.

Connecticut § 29-143j

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 29: Public Safety and State Police
• Ch. 532a: Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts

Text

(a) As used in this chapter, “commissioner” means the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and “mixed martial arts” means unarmed combat involving the use of a combination of techniques from different disciplines of the martial arts and includes grappling, kicking, jujitsu and striking. (b) The commissioner shall have sole control of and jurisdiction over all amateur and professional boxing and sparring matches and all amateur and professional mixed martial arts matches held, conducted or given within the state by any person or persons, club, corporation or association, except amateur boxing, sparring and mixed martial arts matches held under the supervision of any school, college or university having an academic course of study or of the recognized athletic association connected with such school, college or university or amateur boxing, sparring and mixed martial arts matches held under the auspices of any amateur athletic association that has been determined by the commissioner to be capable of ensuring the health and safety of the participants; provided the commissioner may at any time assume jurisdiction over any amateur boxing, sparring or mixed martial arts match if the commissioner determines that the health and safety of the participants is not being sufficiently safeguarded. The commissioner may appoint inspectors who shall, on the order of the commissioner, represent the commissioner at all boxing or mixed martial arts matches. The commissioner may appoint a secretary who shall prepare for service such notices and papers as may be required and perform such other duties as the commissioner directs. (c) The commissioner or the commissioner's authorized representative may cause a full investigation to be made of the location of, and paraphernalia and equipment to be used in any boxing, sparring or mixed martial arts match and all other matters and shall determine whether or not such match will be reasonably safe for the participants and for public attendance and may make reasonable orders concerning alterations or betterments to the equipment and paraphernalia, and concerning the character and arrangement of the seating, means of egress, lighting, firefighting appliances, fire and police protection and such other provisions as shall make the match reasonably safe against both fire and casualty hazards. (d) When any serious physical injury, as defined in subdivision (4) of section 53a-3 , or death occurs in connection with a boxing, sparring or mixed martial arts match, the owner of the location of the match shall, not later than four hours after such occurrence, report the injury or death to the commissioner or the commissioner's designee. Not later than four hours after receipt of such report, the commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall cause an investigation of the occurrence to determine the cause of such serious physical injury or death. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee may enter into any place or upon any premises so registered or licensed in furtherance of such investigation and inspection. (e) The commissioner, in consultation with the Connecticut Boxing Commission, shall adopt such regulations in accordance with chapter 54 as the commissioner deems necessary and desirable for the conduct, supervision and safety of boxing matches, including the licensing of the sponsors and the participants of such boxing matches, and for the development and promotion of the sport of boxing in this state, including, but not limited to, regulations to improve the competitiveness of the sport of boxing in this state relative to other states. Such regulations shall require fees for the issuance of licenses to such sponsors and participants as follows: (1) For referees, a fee of not less than one hundred twenty-six dollars; (2) for matchmakers and assistant matchmakers, a fee of not less than one hundred twenty-six dollars; (3) for timekeepers, a fee of not less than twenty-six dollars; (4) for professional boxers, a fee of not less than twenty-six dollars; (5) for amateur boxers, a fee of not less than fifteen dollars; (6) for managers, a fee of not less than one hundred twenty-six dollars; (7) for trainers, a fee of not less than twenty-six dollars; (8) for seconds, a fee of not less than twenty-six dollars; (9) for announcers, a fee of not less than twenty-six dollars; and (10) for promoters, a fee of not less than three hundred fifteen dollars. (f) No organization, gymnasium or independent club shall host a sparring match unless such organization, gymnasium or independent club registers with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection in accordance with this subsection. The commissioner shall register any organization, gymnasium or independent club that the commissioner deems qualified to host such matches. Application for such registration shall be made on forms provided by the department and accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars. For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter, the commissioner or an authorized representative may inspect the facility of any such organization, gymnasium or independent club. The Attorney General, at the request of the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, may apply in the name of the state of Connecticut to the Superior Court for an order temporarily or permanently restraining any organization, gymnasium or independent club from operating in violation of any provision of this chapter or the regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection. The commissioner, in consultation with the Connecticut Boxing Commission, shall adopt such regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, as the commissioner deems necessary for the conduct, supervision and safety of sparring matches. (g) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to regulate the conduct, supervision and safety of mixed martial arts matches, including the licensing of the sponsors of and the participants in such matches, and to set a reasonable fee for the issuance of licenses to such sponsors and participants. (h) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the commissioner, may enter into a contract with any person for the services of such person acting as an inspector appointed in accordance with the provisions of this section. See Secs. 53-200 and 53-201 re penalties for offenses involving prize fights.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 3508; 1959, P.A. 412, S. 32; February, 1965, P.A. 617, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 656, S. 18; 787, S. 2; 1972, P.A. 55, S. 1; P.A. 73-393; P.A. 80-137, S. 1; P.A. 82-53, S. 1, 4; P.A. 84-344, S. 3, 11; P.A. 85-157, S. 1, 9; 85-293, S. 1; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 89-251, S. 155, 203; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 96-259, S. 12; P.A. 98-117, S. 1; P.A. 99-194, S. 8; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 06-187, S. 26; P.A. 07-6, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 312; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 13-259, S. 1.) History: 1959 act substituted commissioner of consumer protection for athletic commissioner, the latter office having been abolished and added provisions re inspectors and secretary; 1965 act deleted boxing exhibitions; 1967 acts reiterated deletion of boxing exhibitions and then added provisions re amateur boxing exhibitions; 1972 act made provisions applicable to all boxing exhibitions, deleting the word “amateur”; P.A. 73-393 required commissioner to make regulations by substituting “shall” for “may” and included regulations re wrestling bouts; P.A. 80-137 made previous provisions Subsecs. (a) and (c), removed previous provision granting secretary subpoena power and inserted new Subsec. (b) re subpoena, oath administration and hearing powers and rephrased regulation provisions in Subsec. (c); P.A. 82-53 amended Subsec. (a) by providing that exhibitions and bouts held under the auspices of an amateur athletic association will not be under the commissioner's jurisdiction unless he makes a specific determination; Sec. 19-327 transferred to Sec. 21a-196 in 1983; P.A. 84-344 transferred the duties of the commissioner of consumer protection to a state boxing commissioner and added Subsec. (d), authorizing the commissioner to enter into contracts with inspectors, effective March 1, 1985; P.A. 85-157 substituted commissioner of consumer protection for state boxing commissioner, that office having been abolished, and made technical changes; P.A. 85-293 amended Subsec. (c) by repealing commissioner's power to make regulations governing wrestling bouts; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 89-251 amended Subsec. (c) to establish fees for sponsors, officials and participants in boxing exhibitions; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-259 added Subsec. (e) authorizing commissioner to disallow the conduct of certain professional wrestling bouts; P.A. 98-117 added new Subsec. (a) defining “commissioner”, redesignated existing Subsecs. (a) to (e) as Subsecs. (b) to (f), added provisions re regulations for the development and promotion of the sport of boxing, and made technical changes; P.A. 99-194 made technical and gender neutral changes, replaced references to boxing exhibition with references to boxing match and replaced references to wrestling bout with references to wrestling exhibition; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 06-187 amended Subsec. (a) to replace reference to Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Public Safety, amended Subsec. (b) to insert “amateur and professional”, add references to “sparring”, and delete references to “wrestling exhibitions”, amended Subsec. (c) to replace provisions re commissioner's powers of subpoena, administering oaths and conducting hearings with new language re investigatory powers and orders, added new Subsec. (d) re serious physical injury, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as new Subsec. (e) and inserted “in consultation with the Connecticut Boxing Commission” therein, added new Subsec. (f) re registering of hosts of sparring matches, inspections, and regulations, redesignated existing Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (g) and deleted former Subsec. (f) re wrestling exhibitions; Sec. 21a-196 transferred to Sec. 29-143j in 2007; P.A. 07-6 made technical changes in Subsecs. (c), (e) and (f); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsecs. (e) and (f) to increase fees; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” and “Department of Public Safety” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” and “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-259 amended Subsec. (a) to define “mixed martial arts”, amended Subsec. (b) to provide commissioner with sole control of and jurisdiction over amateur and professional mixed martial arts matches except amateur mixed martial arts matches held under supervision or auspices of certain schools, colleges or universities or amateur athletic associations and to authorize commissioner to assume jurisdiction over amateur mixed martial arts match for health and safety reasons and appoint inspectors to represent commissioner at mixed martial arts matches, amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) to make provisions applicable to mixed martial arts matches, added new Subsec. (g) re adoption of regulations to regulate conduct, supervision and safety of mixed martial arts matches and redesignated existing Subsec. (g) as Subsec. (h).