| 1 | 1 | | By: Alvarado S.B. No. 1181 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed February 7, 2025; February 28, 2025, |
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| 3 | 3 | | read first time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce; |
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| 4 | 4 | | April 22, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11, |
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| 5 | 5 | | Nays 0; April 22, 2025, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | |
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| 11 | 11 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 12 | 12 | | AN ACT |
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| 13 | 13 | | relating to the regulation of combative sports by the Texas |
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| 14 | 14 | | Department of Licensing and Regulation; creating a criminal |
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| 15 | 15 | | offense. |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Section 2052.110, Occupations Code, is amended |
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| 18 | 18 | | to read as follows: |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sec. 2052.110. LICENSE AND BONDING EXCEPTIONS. If the |
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| 20 | 20 | | contestants are amateurs, the licensing and bonding requirements of |
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| 21 | 21 | | this chapter do not apply to: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) an event conducted by a college, school, or |
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| 23 | 23 | | university that is part of the institution's athletic program in |
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| 24 | 24 | | which only students of educational institutions participate; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) an event [which is] conducted by a troop, battery, |
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| 26 | 26 | | company, or unit of the Texas National Guard or a law enforcement |
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| 27 | 27 | | agency [and] in which only members of military or law enforcement |
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| 28 | 28 | | organizations participate; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) an event [which is] conducted by: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (A) a member [an] organization or recognized |
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| 31 | 31 | | sports organization of the United States Olympic & [Games, the] |
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| 32 | 32 | | Paralympic Committee; or |
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| 33 | 33 | | (B) an international sports federation or |
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| 34 | 34 | | recognized federation of the International Olympic Committee |
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| 35 | 35 | | [Games, or the Pan-American Games and in which participants train |
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| 36 | 36 | | or compete for advancement to or within the games]. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. Section 2052.115, Occupations Code, is amended |
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| 38 | 38 | | to read as follows: |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 2052.115. PROMOTER RESPONSIBILITIES. For each |
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| 40 | 40 | | promoted event, a promoter shall: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) before holding the event, obtain department |
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| 42 | 42 | | approval in the form and manner required by the department; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) ensure [assure that] all contestants |
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| 44 | 44 | | participating in the event satisfy the eligibility requirements for |
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| 45 | 45 | | licensure [scheduled to participate are licensed before the event]; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) [(2)] provide [that] an ambulance, serviced by at |
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| 47 | 47 | | least two emergency medical technicians, [is present] on the |
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| 48 | 48 | | premises where the event is held; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (4) [(3)] provide for a physical examination of each |
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| 50 | 50 | | contestant that complies with rules adopted under this chapter; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (5) [(4)] comply with all commission rules. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 3. Section 2052.254, Occupations Code, is amended |
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| 53 | 53 | | to read as follows: |
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| 54 | 54 | | Sec. 2052.254. ELIMINATION TOURNAMENTS. Except as |
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| 55 | 55 | | authorized by commission rule, an [An] elimination tournament may |
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| 56 | 56 | | not be conducted in this state. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 4. Subchapter G, Chapter 2052, Occupations Code, is |
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| 58 | 58 | | amended by adding Section 2052.301 to read as follows: |
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| 59 | 59 | | Sec. 2052.301. UNAUTHORIZED EVENT; CRIMINAL OFFENSE. (a) |
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| 60 | 60 | | A person commits an offense if the person knowingly acts as a |
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| 61 | 61 | | promoter of an event the department has not approved as required by |
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| 62 | 62 | | Section 2052.115. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 5. Section 2052.3015, Occupations Code, is |
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| 65 | 65 | | repealed. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 6. (a) The change in law made by this Act does not |
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| 67 | 67 | | affect the validity of a proceeding pending before a court or other |
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| 68 | 68 | | governmental entity on the effective date of this Act. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (b) The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shall |
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| 70 | 70 | | prescribe the form and manner of approval required by Section |
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| 71 | 71 | | 2052.115, Occupations Code, as amended by this Act. The Texas |
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| 72 | 72 | | Commission of Licensing and Regulation may adopt any rules |
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| 73 | 73 | | necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act. |
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| 74 | 74 | | (c) An offense or other violation of law committed before |
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| 75 | 75 | | the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when |
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| 76 | 76 | | the offense or violation was committed, and the former law is |
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| 77 | 77 | | continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this |
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| 78 | 78 | | subsection, an offense or violation was committed before the |
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| 79 | 79 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense or |
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| 80 | 80 | | violation occurred before that date. |
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| 81 | 81 | | SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 82 | 82 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 83 | 83 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 84 | 84 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 85 | 85 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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| 86 | 86 | | * * * * * |
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