1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to boxing; regulation of boxing; establishing a boxing commission; 
1.3 	appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.4 	chapter 341.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [341.21] DEFINITIONS.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Applicability. The definitions in this section apply to this chapter.
1.8 		Subd. 2.Boxing. "Boxing" means the act of attack and defense with the fists, using 
1.9 	padded gloves, that is practiced as a sport under the rules of the World Boxing Association, 
1.10 	the World Boxing Council, the International Boxing Federation, or equivalent. Where 
1.11 	applicable, boxing includes full contact karate.
1.12 		Subd. 3.Commission. "Commission" means the Minnesota Boxing Commission.
1.13 		Subd. 4.Contest. "Contest" means any boxing or nontraditional fighting contest, 
1.14 	match, or exhibition.
1.15 		Subd. 5.Nontraditional fighting contest. "Nontraditional fighting contest" means 
1.16 	any competition between two or more persons, with or without gloves, who use any 
1.17 	combination of fighting skills, including boxing, wrestling, hitting, kicking, martial arts, 
1.18 	and other combative full contact techniques. Nontraditional fighting contests include, but 
1.19 	are not limited to, ultimate fighting, extreme fighting, elimination contests, cage fighting, 
1.20 	mixed martial arts fighting, tough person contests, shoot fighting, and the like, but do not 
1.21 	include kick boxing or any recognized martial arts competition.
1.22 		Subd. 6.Professional. "Professional" means any person who competes for any 
1.23 	money prize or a prize that exceeds the value of $50 or teaches, pursues, or assists in 
2.1 	the practice of boxing or nontraditional fighting as a means of obtaining a livelihood 
2.2 	or pecuniary gain.
2.3 		Subd. 7.Director. "Director" means the executive director of the commission.
2.4 		Subd. 8.Tough person contest. "Tough person contest" means any boxing match 
2.5 	consisting of one-minute rounds between two or more persons who use their hands or their 
2.6 	feet, or both, in any manner. Tough person contest does not include kick boxing, any 
2.7 	recognized martial arts competition, or boxing as defined in subdivision 2.

2.8 	Sec. 2. [341.22] BOXING COMMISSION.
2.9 	There is hereby created the Minnesota Boxing Commission, consisting of five 
2.10 	members who are citizens of this state. The members shall be appointed by the governor 
2.11 	and subject to the advice and consent of the senate. One member of the commission 
2.12 	shall be a retired judge of the Minnesota district court, Minnesota Court of Appeals, 
2.13 	Minnesota Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, 
2.14 	or the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; one member shall be a public member; and three 
2.15 	members shall be involved in the boxing industry. At least two of the members must be 
2.16 	women, if possible. Membership terms, compensation of members, removal of members, 
2.17 	the filling of membership vacancies, and fiscal year and reporting requirements shall be 
2.18 	as provided in sections 214.07 to 214.09. The provision of staff, administrative services, 
2.19 	and office space; the review and processing of complaints; the setting of fees; and other 
2.20 	provisions relating to commission operations shall be as provided in chapter 214. The 
2.21 	purpose of the commission is to protect health, promote safety, and ensure fair events.

2.22 	Sec. 3. [341.23] LIMITATIONS.
2.23 	No member of the boxing commission shall directly or indirectly promote any 
2.24 	boxing or nontraditional fighting contest, or directly or indirectly engage in the managing 
2.25 	of any boxer or fighter or be interested in any manner in the proceeds from any boxing 
2.26 	match or nontraditional fighting contest.

2.27 	Sec. 4. [341.24] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
2.28 	The governor may appoint, and at pleasure remove, an executive director and 
2.29 	prescribe the powers and duties of the office. The executive director shall not be a member 
2.30 	of the commission. The commission may employ personnel necessary to the performance 
2.31 	of its duties.

2.32 	Sec. 5. [341.25] RULES.
3.1 	(a) The commission may adopt rules that include standards for the physical 
3.2 	examination and condition of boxers, nontraditional fighters, and referees.
3.3 	(b) The commission may adopt other rules necessary to carry out the purposes of this 
3.4 	chapter, including, but not limited to, the conduct of boxing exhibitions, bouts, fights, and 
3.5 	nontraditional fighting contests and events, and their manner, supervision, time, and place.

3.6 	Sec. 6. [341.26] MEETINGS.
3.7 	The commission shall hold a regular meeting quarterly and in addition may hold 
3.8 	special meetings. Except as otherwise provided in law, all meetings of the commission 
3.9 	shall be open to the public and reasonable notice of the meetings shall be given under 
3.10 	chapter 13D.

3.11 	Sec. 7. [341.27] COMMISSION DUTIES.
3.12 	The commission shall:
3.13 	(1) issue, deny, renew, suspend, or revoke licenses;
3.14 	(2) make and maintain records of its acts and proceedings including the issuance, 
3.15 	denial, renewal, suspension, or revocation of licenses;
3.16 	(3) keep public records of the commission open to inspection at all reasonable times;
3.17 	(4) assist the director in the development of rules to be implemented under this 
3.18 	chapter; and
3.19 	(5) conform to the rules adopted under this chapter.

3.20 	Sec. 8. [341.28] REGULATION OF BOXING AND NONTRADITIONAL 
3.21 	FIGHTING CONTESTS.
3.22 		Subdivision 1.Regulatory authority; boxing. All boxing contests are subject to 
3.23 	this chapter. Every contestant in a boxing contest shall wear padded gloves that weigh at 
3.24 	least eight ounces. The commission shall, for every boxing contest:
3.25 	(1) direct a commission member to be present; and
3.26 	(2) direct the attending commission member to make a written report of the contest.
3.27 	All boxing contests within this state shall be conducted according to the requirements 
3.28 	of this chapter.
3.29 		Subd. 2.Regulatory authority; tough person contests. All tough person contests, 
3.30 	including amateur tough person contests, are subject to this chapter. Every contestant in a 
3.31 	tough person contest shall wear padded gloves that weigh at least 12 ounces.
3.32 		Subd. 3.Regulatory authority; nontraditional fighting. All nontraditional 
3.33 	fighting, including amateur nontraditional fighting contests, are subject to this chapter and 
4.1 	the rules adopted by the commission. Contestants in nontraditional fighting contests shall 
4.2 	not strike other contestants in the spinal column or in the back of the head, and shall not 
4.3 	strike with their knees or elbows.

4.4 	Sec. 9. [341.29] JURISDICTION OF COMMISSION.
4.5 	The commission shall:
4.6 	(1) have sole direction, supervision, regulation, control, and jurisdiction over all 
4.7 	boxing contests, tough man contests, and nontraditional fighting contests held within this 
4.8 	state unless a contest is exempt from the application of this chapter under federal law;
4.9 	(2) have sole control, authority, and jurisdiction over all licenses required by this 
4.10 	chapter; and 
4.11 	(3) grant a license to an applicant if, in the judgment of the commission, the financial 
4.12 	responsibility, experience, character, and general fitness of the applicant are consistent 
4.13 	with the public interest, convenience, or necessity and the best interests of boxing and 
4.14 	conforms with this chapter and the commission's rules.

4.15 	Sec. 10. [341.30] LICENSURE; PERSONS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN 
4.16 	LICENSES; REQUIREMENTS; BACKGROUND INFORMATION; FEE; BOND.
4.17 		Subdivision 1.Licensure; individuals. All referees, judges, matchmakers, 
4.18 	promoters, trainers, ring announcers, timekeepers, ringside physicians, boxers, 
4.19 	nontraditional fighters, boxers' managers, and boxers' seconds are required to be licensed 
4.20 	by the commission. The commission shall not permit any of these persons to participate 
4.21 	in the holding or conduct of any boxing contest unless the commission has first issued 
4.22 	the person a license.
4.23 		Subd. 2.Entity licensure. Before participating in the holding or conduct of any 
4.24 	boxing or nontraditional fighting contest, a corporation, partnership, limited liability 
4.25 	company, or other business entity organized and existing under law, its officers and 
4.26 	directors, and any person holding 25 percent or more of the ownership of the corporation 
4.27 	shall obtain a license from the commission and must be authorized to do business under 
4.28 	the laws of this state.
4.29 		Subd. 3.Background investigation. The commission shall require referees, 
4.30 	judges, matchmakers, promoters, boxers, and nontraditional fighters' managers to furnish 
4.31 	fingerprints and background information under commission rules before licensure. The 
4.32 	commission shall charge a fee for receiving fingerprints and background information 
4.33 	in an amount determined by the commission. The commission may require referees, 
4.34 	judges, matchmakers, promoters, boxers, and nontraditional fighters' managers to furnish 
5.1 	fingerprints and background information before license renewal if the commission 
5.2 	determines that the fingerprints and background information are desirable or necessary. 
5.3 	The fee may include a reasonable charge for expenses incurred by the commission or the 
5.4 	Department of Public Safety. For this purpose, the commission and the Department of 
5.5 	Public Safety may enter into an interagency agreement pursuant to section .......
5.6 		Subd. 4.Prelicensure requirements. (a) Before the commission issues a license to 
5.7 	a promoter, matchmaker, corporation, or other business entity, the applicant shall:
5.8 	(1) provide the commission with a copy of any agreement between a contestant 
5.9 	and the applicant which binds the applicant to pay the contestant a certain fixed fee or 
5.10 	percentage of the gate receipts;
5.11 	(2) show on the application the owner or owners of the applicant entity and the 
5.12 	percentage of interest held by each owner holding a 25 percent or more interest in the 
5.13 	applicant;
5.14 	(3) provide the commission with a copy of the latest financial statement of the 
5.15 	entity; and
5.16 	(4) provide the commission with a copy or other proof acceptable to the commission 
5.17 	of the insurance contract or policy required by this chapter.
5.18 	(b) Before the commission issues a license to a promoter, the applicant shall deposit 
5.19 	with the commission a cash bond or surety bond in an amount set by the commission. 
5.20 	The bond shall be executed in favor of this state and shall be conditioned on the faithful 
5.21 	performance by the promoter of the promoter's obligations under this chapter and the 
5.22 	rules adopted under it.
5.23 	(c) Before the commission issues a license to a boxer or nontraditional fighter, the 
5.24 	applicant shall submit to the commission the results of a current medical examination on 
5.25 	forms furnished or approved by the commission. The medical examination must include 
5.26 	an ophthalmological and neurological examination. The ophthalmological exam must be 
5.27 	designed to detect any retinal defects or other damage or condition of the eye that could 
5.28 	be aggravated by boxing or nontraditional fighting. The neurological examination must 
5.29 	include an electroencephalogram or medically superior test if the boxer or nontraditional 
5.30 	fighter has been knocked unconscious in a previous boxing, nontraditional fighting, or 
5.31 	other athletic competition. The commission may also order an electroencephalogram or 
5.32 	other appropriate neurological or physical exam before any contest, match, or exhibition 
5.33 	if it determines that the examination is desirable to protect the health of the boxer or 
5.34 	nontraditional fighter.

5.35 	Sec. 11. [341.31] SIMULCAST LICENSES.
6.1 	The commission shall issue a license to a person or organization holding, showing, 
6.2 	or exhibiting a simultaneous telecast of any live, current, or spontaneous boxing or 
6.3 	sparring match or nontraditional fighting exhibition or performance on a closed circuit 
6.4 	telecast or subscription television program viewed within the state, whether originating 
6.5 	in this state or elsewhere, and for which a charge is made. Each person or organization 
6.6 	shall apply for such a license in advance of each showing. No showing may be licensed 
6.7 	unless the person or organization applying for the license: 
6.8 	(1) certifies that the match is subject to the jurisdiction and regulation of a boxing or 
6.9 	athletic regulatory authority in another state or country; 
6.10 	(2) certifies the match is in compliance with the requirements of the authority; 
6.11 	(3) identifies the authority; and 
6.12 	(4) provides any information the commission may require.

6.13 	Sec. 12. [341.32] LICENSE FEES; EXPIRATION; RENEWAL.
6.14 		Subdivision 1.Annual licensure. The commission may establish and issue annual 
6.15 	licenses subject to the collection of advance fees by the commission for: promoters, 
6.16 	matchmakers, managers, judges, referees, ring announcers, ringside physicians, 
6.17 	timekeepers, boxers, nontraditional fighters, boxers' trainers, boxers' seconds, business 
6.18 	entities filing for a license to participate in the holding of any boxing contest, and officers, 
6.19 	directors, or other persons affiliated with the business entity.
6.20 		Subd. 2.Expiration and renewal. A license expires December 31 at midnight in 
6.21 	the year of its issuance and may be renewed on filing an application for renewal of a 
6.22 	license with the commission and payment of the license fee required in subdivision 1. An 
6.23 	application for a license and renewal of a license shall be on a form provided by the 
6.24 	commission. There is a 30-day grace period during which a license may be renewed if a 
6.25 	late filing penalty fee equal to the license fee is submitted with the regular license fee. 
6.26 	A licensee that files late shall not conduct any activity regulated by this chapter until the 
6.27 	commission has renewed the license. If the licensee fails to apply to the commission within 
6.28 	the 30-day grace period the licensee must apply for a new license under subdivision 1.

6.29 	Sec. 13. [341.33] CONTESTANTS AND REFEREES; PHYSICAL 
6.30 	EXAMINATION; ATTENDANCE OF PHYSICIAN; PAYMENT OF FEES; 
6.31 	INSURANCE.
6.32 		Subdivision 1.Examination by physician. All boxers, nontraditional fighters, 
6.33 	and referees shall be examined by a physician licensed by this state within three hours 
6.34 	before entering the ring, and the examining physician shall immediately file with the 
7.1 	commission a written report of the examination. The physician's examination shall report 
7.2 	on the condition of the boxer's heart and general physical and neurological condition. The 
7.3 	physician's report may record the condition of the boxer's nervous system and brain as 
7.4 	required by the commission. The physician may prohibit the boxer from entering the ring 
7.5 	if, in the physician's professional opinion, it is in the best interest of the boxer's health. 
7.6 	The cost of the examination is payable by the person or entity conducting the contest 
7.7 	or exhibition.
7.8 		Subd. 2.Attendance of physician. Every person holding or sponsoring any boxing 
7.9 	or nontraditional fighting contest shall have in attendance at every boxing contest a 
7.10 	physician licensed by this state. The commission may establish a schedule of fees to be 
7.11 	paid to each attending physician by the person holding or sponsoring the contest.

7.12 	Sec. 14. [341.34] INSURANCE.
7.13 		Subdivision 1.Required insurance. The commission shall:
7.14 	(1) require insurance coverage for a boxer or nontraditional fighter to provide for 
7.15 	medical, surgical, and hospital care for injuries sustained in the ring in an amount of at 
7.16 	least $100,000 with $25 deductible and payable to the boxer or nontraditional fighter 
7.17 	as beneficiary; and
7.18 	(2) require life insurance for a boxer or nontraditional fighter in the amount of at least 
7.19 	$50,000 payable in case of accidental death resulting from injuries sustained in the ring.
7.20 		Subd. 2.Payment for insurance. The cost of the insurance required by this section 
7.21 	is payable by the promoter.

7.22 	Sec. 15. [341.35] PENALTIES FOR NONLICENSED EXHIBITIONS.
7.23 	Any person or persons who send or cause to be sent, published, or otherwise made 
7.24 	known, any challenge to fight what is commonly known as a prize fight, or engage in any 
7.25 	public boxing or sparring match, or nontraditional exhibition or contest, with or without 
7.26 	gloves, for any prize, reward or compensation, or for which any admission fee is charged 
7.27 	directly or indirectly, or go into training preparatory for such fight, exhibition, or contest, 
7.28 	or act as a trainer, aider, abettor, backer, umpire, referee, second, surgeon, assistant, or 
7.29 	attendant at such fight, exhibition, or contest, or in any preparation for same, and any 
7.30 	owner or lessee of any ground, building, or structure of any kind permitting the same to 
7.31 	be used for any fight, exhibition, or contest, is guilty of a misdemeanor unless a license 
7.32 	for the holding of the fight, exhibition, or contest has been issued by the commission in 
7.33 	compliance with the rules adopted by it.

8.1 	Sec. 16. [341.46] GROSS RECEIPTS TAX.
8.2 	The promoter or promoters of all boxing or nontraditional fighting contests, shows, 
8.3 	or exhibitions held under this chapter shall pay to the commissioner of finance, for credit 
8.4 	to the Minnesota Boxing Commission fund, a tax of five percent of the gross receipts 
8.5 	from the contest or exhibition. This section also applies to all boxing, kick boxing, and 
8.6 	nontraditional fighting contests or exhibitions that are simulcast or shown over closed 
8.7 	circuit television and for which a fee is charged for the right to view the event in this state.

8.8 	Sec. 17. DEPOSIT OF FEES.
 8.9 	All fees collected by the commission must be deposited in the special revenue 
8.10 	fund. Other than initial startup costs, the commission must be funded only from proceeds 
8.11 	of these fees.

8.12 	Sec. 18. APPROPRIATIONS.
 8.13 	$....... is appropriated from the general fund to the Minnesota Boxing Commission 
8.14 	for purposes in sections 1 to 17.

8.15 	Sec. 19. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 8.16 	Sections 1 to 18 are effective January 1, 2007.