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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3033 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1407
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Daniel Cahill
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to criminal harassment against a sports official.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Daniel Cahill10th Essex1/19/2023Gerard J. Cassidy9th Plymouth1/30/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3033 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1407
By Representative Cahill of Lynn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1407) of Daniel
Cahill and Gerard J. Cassidy relative to criminal harassment against sports officials. The
Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to criminal harassment against a sports official.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Section 43B. (Whoever willfully and maliciously engages in an act or series of acts
2during the course of a sporting event directed at a sports official, who is acting in their official
3capacity, which threatens serious bodily injury to a sports official that would cause a reasonable
4person to fear for their personal safety, shall be guilty of the crime of criminal harassment
5against a sports official and shall be punished by imprisonment in a house of correction for not
6more than 2 1/2 years or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both such fine and
7imprisonment. ; and for a second or subsequent offense, by imprisonment in the state prison for
8not less than five nor more than ten years.
9 As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires
10otherwise, have the following meanings:-
11 “Sports official”, any person who serves as a referee, umpire, line judge, scorer, timer, or
12who acts in any similar capacity, whether paid or volunteer, during a sporting event and is 2 of 2
13registered by, or a member of, a local, state, regional or national organization engaged in
14providing education and training to sports officials.
15 “Sporting event”, any interscholastic or intramural athletic activity in a primary, middle,
16junior high, or high school, college, or university, any organized athletic activity sponsored by a
17community, business, or nonprofit organization, or any semiprofessional athletic activity that is
18officiated by a sports official.