Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1427 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1290 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1427
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Rob Consalvo
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to the assault on and aggravated harassment of sports officials.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Rob Consalvo14th Suffolk1/17/2023Bruce J. Ayers1st Norfolk2/28/2023Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk3/13/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1290 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1427
18	18	By Representative Consalvo of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1427) of
19	19	Rob Consalvo, Bruce J. Ayers and Michael D. Brady relative to assault upon and aggravated
20	20	harassment of sports officials. The Judiciary.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
24	24	(2023-2024)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act relative to the assault on and aggravated harassment of sports officials.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 Chapter 265 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 43A the
30	30	2following section:-
31	31	3 Section 43B. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the
32	32	4context requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
33	33	5 “Sporting event”, any interscholastic or intramural athletic activity, any organized athletic
34	34	6activity sponsored by a community, business or nonprofit organization, any athletic activity that
35	35	7is a professional or semiprofessional event and any other organized athletic activity enforced by
36	36	8a sports official. A “sporting event” shall also include pre-sporting event and post-sporting event
37	37	9activities and surrounding parking areas.
38	38	10 “Sports official”, any individual who enforces the rules of a sporting event including, but
39	39	11not limited to, a referee, umpire, linesman or someone who serves in a similar capacity but may
40	40	12be known by a different title or name and is duly registered by, or a member of, a local, state, 2 of 2
41	41	13regional or national organization engaged in part in providing education and training to sports
42	42	14officials.
43	43	15 (b) Whoever commits an assault or an assault and battery upon a sports official at a
44	44	16sporting event shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or
45	45	17by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 2 ½ years, or by a fine of not more
46	46	18than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
47	47	19 (c) Whoever willfully and maliciously engages in a knowing pattern of conduct or series
48	48	20of acts at a sporting event directed at a sports official, which seriously alarms that sports official
49	49	21and would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, shall be guilty of
50	50	22the crime of criminal harassment of a sports official and shall be punished by imprisonment in
51	51	23the state prison for not more than 5 years, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not
52	52	24more than 2½ years, or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such fine and
53	53	25imprisonment.