House File 52 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 52 BY RINKER A BILL FOR An Act relating to civil liability of sports officials, 1 providing criminal penalties for assault of sports 2 officials, and including effective date and applicability 3 provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js
H.F. 52 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 671B.1 Definition. 1 Sports official means the same as defined in section 2 708.3A. 3 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 671B.2 Sports officials limitation 4 of liability. 5 A sports official who officiates an athletic contest at any 6 level of competition in this state shall not be liable to any 7 person in any civil action for injuries or damages claimed to 8 have arisen due to actions or inactions within the confines of 9 the athletic facility at which the athletic contest is played 10 related in any manner to the sports officials officiating 11 duties. 12 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 671B.3 Sports officials liability 13 protection not applicable. 14 This chapter does not apply to a sports official who causes 15 injury or damage to a person by actions or inactions that are 16 intentional, malicious, or grossly negligent. 17 Sec. 4. Section 708.3A, subsections 1, 2, 3, and 4, Code 18 2025, are amended to read as follows: 19 1. A person who commits an assault, as defined in section 20 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, 21 member or employee of the board of parole, health care 22 provider, employee of the department of health and human 23 services, employee of the department of revenue, national 24 guard member engaged in national guard duty or state active 25 duty, civilian employee of a law enforcement agency, civilian 26 employee of a fire department, or fire fighter, whether paid 27 or volunteer, or sports official, with the knowledge that 28 the person against whom the assault is committed is a peace 29 officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of 30 the board of parole, health care provider, employee of the 31 department of health and human services, employee of the 32 department of revenue, national guard member engaged in 33 national guard duty or state active duty, civilian employee 34 of a law enforcement agency, civilian employee of a fire 35 -1- LSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js 1/ 5
H.F. 52 department, or fire fighter , or sports official, and with the 1 intent to inflict a serious injury upon the peace officer, 2 jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of the board 3 of parole, health care provider, employee of the department 4 of health and human services, employee of the department of 5 revenue, national guard member engaged in national guard duty 6 or state active duty, civilian employee of a law enforcement 7 agency, civilian employee of a fire department, or fire 8 fighter, or sports official, is guilty of a class D felony. 9 2. A person who commits an assault, as defined in section 10 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, 11 member or employee of the board of parole, health care 12 provider, employee of the department of health and human 13 services, employee of the department of revenue, national 14 guard member engaged in national guard duty or state active 15 duty, civilian employee of a law enforcement agency, civilian 16 employee of a fire department, or fire fighter, whether paid 17 or volunteer, who knows or sports official, knowing that 18 the person against whom the assault is committed is a peace 19 officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of 20 the board of parole, health care provider, employee of the 21 department of health and human services, employee of the 22 department of revenue, national guard member engaged in 23 national guard duty or state active duty, civilian employee 24 of a law enforcement agency, civilian employee of a fire 25 department, or fire fighter , or sports official, and who uses 26 or displays a dangerous weapon in connection with the assault, 27 is guilty of a class D felony. 28 3. A person who commits an assault, as defined in section 29 708.1 , against a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, 30 member or employee of the board of parole, health care 31 provider, employee of the department of health and human 32 services, employee of the department of revenue, national 33 guard member engaged in national guard duty or state active 34 duty, civilian employee of a law enforcement agency, civilian 35 -2- LSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js 2/ 5
H.F. 52 employee of a fire department, or fire fighter, whether paid 1 or volunteer, who knows or sports official, knowing that 2 the person against whom the assault is committed is a peace 3 officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or employee of 4 the board of parole, health care provider, employee of the 5 department of health and human services, employee of the 6 department of revenue, national guard member engaged in 7 national guard duty or state active duty, civilian employee 8 of a law enforcement agency, civilian employee of a fire 9 department, or fire fighter, or sports official, and who causes 10 bodily injury or mental illness, is guilty of an aggravated 11 misdemeanor. 12 4. Any other assault, as defined in section 708.1 , committed 13 against a peace officer, jailer, correctional staff, member or 14 employee of the board of parole, health care provider, employee 15 of the department of health and human services, employee of 16 the department of revenue, national guard member engaged in 17 national guard duty or state active duty, civilian employee 18 of a law enforcement agency, civilian employee of a fire 19 department, or fire fighter, whether paid or volunteer, or 20 sports official by a person who knows that the person against 21 whom the assault is committed is a peace officer, jailer, 22 correctional staff, member or employee of the board of parole, 23 health care provider, employee of the department of health and 24 human services, employee of the department of revenue, national 25 guard member engaged in national guard duty or state active 26 duty, civilian employee of a law enforcement agency, civilian 27 employee of a fire department, or fire fighter, or sports 28 official is a serious misdemeanor. 29 Sec. 5. Section 708.3A, subsection 5, Code 2025, is amended 30 by adding the following new paragraph: 31 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0h. Sports official means an individual 32 who serves as a referee, umpire, or linesman, or in a similar 33 capacity, at any athletic contest, and who is a member of 34 or registered with a local, state, regional, or national 35 -3- LSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js 3/ 5
H.F. 52 organization that is engaged, in part, in providing education 1 and training to referees, umpires, linesman, or persons in 2 similar capacities. 3 Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 4 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 5 Sec. 7. APPLICABILITY. The following apply to legal actions 6 commenced on or after the effective date of this Act, including 7 legal actions that allege actions or inactions of a sports 8 official that occurred prior to the effective date of this Act: 9 1. The section of this Act enacting section 671B.1. 10 2. The section of this Act enacting section 671B.2. 11 3. The section of this Act enacting section 671B.3. 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 This bill provides that a sports official who officiates 16 an athletic contest at any level of competition in Iowa shall 17 not be liable to any person in any civil action for injuries 18 or damages claimed to have arisen due to actions or inactions 19 within the confines of the athletic facility at which the 20 athletic contest is played related in any manner to the sports 21 officials officiating duties. This provision does not apply 22 to a sports official who causes injury or damage to a person 23 by actions or inactions that are intentional, malicious, or 24 grossly negligent. The bill applies to legal actions commenced 25 after the effective date of the bill, including legal actions 26 that allege actions or inactions of a sports official that 27 occurred prior to the effective date of the bill. 28 The bill provides that a person who commits an assault 29 against a sports official, with the knowledge that the person 30 against whom the assault is committed is a sports official, 31 and with the intent to commit a serious injury, is guilty of a 32 class D felony. The bill provides that a person who commits 33 an assault against a sports official, who knows that the person 34 against whom the assault is committed is a sports official, and 35 -4- LSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js 4/ 5
H.F. 52 who uses or displays a dangerous weapon in connection with the 1 assault, is guilty of a class D felony. The bill provides 2 that a person who commits an assault against a sports official, 3 who knows that the person against whom the assault is committed 4 is a sports official, and who causes bodily injury or mental 5 illness, is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. The bill 6 provides that any other assault committed against a sports 7 official by a person who knows that the person against whom 8 the assault is committed is a sports official is a serious 9 misdemeanor. A class D felony is punishable by confinement 10 for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but 11 not more than $10,245. An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable 12 by confinement for no more than two years and a fine of at 13 least $855 but not more than $8,540. A serious misdemeanor is 14 punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine 15 of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. 16 The bill defines sports official as an individual who 17 serves as a referee, umpire, or linesman, or in a similar 18 capacity, at any athletic contest, and who is a member of 19 or registered with a local, state, regional, or national 20 organization that is engaged, in part, in providing education 21 and training to sports officials. 22 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 23 -5- LSB 1963YH (3) 91 as/js 5/ 5