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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 643 FILED ON: 1/15/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1475 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Rodney M. Elliott |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to prevent assaults on sports officials. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex1/11/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/15/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 643 FILED ON: 1/15/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1475 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Elliott of Lowell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1475) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Rodney M. Elliott and James C. Arena-DeRosa for legislation to prevent assaults on sports |
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| 20 | 20 | | officials. The Judiciary. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act to prevent assaults on sports officials. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 Chapter 265 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:- |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2 Section 13O. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following term shall, unless the |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4 "Sports official", any individual who serves as a paid or volunteer referee, umpire or line |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5judge, or who serves in similar capacity but may be known by a different title or name. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6 (b) If a person: (i) commits an assault or an assault and battery on a sports official |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7immediately prior to, during or immediately following an interscholastic, intercollegiate or any |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8other organized amateur or professional athletic contest in which the sports official is |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9participating; and (ii) knows or reasonably should know that the sports official engaged in the |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10performance of their duties, the person shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500 and not |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11more than $5,000, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not less than 90 days and not |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12more than 21/2 years, or both. 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13 (c) No person shall require a sports official to remain on the playing surface of an athletic |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14contest after the expiration of any interscholastic, intercollegiate or any other organized amateur |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15or sporting contest. Whoever violates the provisions of this subsection shall be punished by a |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16fine of not more than $200 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days. |
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