Title: Muhammad Ali Expansion Act
Policy area: Sports and Recreation

Summary:
Muhammad Ali Expansion Act
This bill amends the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to: (1) establish definitions for "fighter," "combat sport competition," and "mixed martial arts"; and (2) include individuals who fight in a professional mixed martial arts competition or other professional combat sport competition, such competitions, and the professional combat sports industry within the scope of such Act.
The bill requires the Association of Boxing Commissions, within two years after enactment of this bill, to establish: (1) guidelines for minimum contractual provisions that should be included in bout agreements and mixed martial arts and other combat sport contracts, and (2) guidelines for objective and consistent written criteria for the ratings of mixed martial arts and other combat sports.
The bill applies conflict of interest provisions that prohibit a promoter from having a financial interest in the management of a boxer, or a manager from having a financial interest in the promotion of a boxer, to fighters participating in a mixed martial arts or other combat sport competition scheduled for 11 minutes or more.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 44 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 44

To amend the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to include fighters 
         of combat sports in the safety provisions of such Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2017

Mr. Mullin (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Mooney of West Virginia, Mr. 
 King of New York, Mr. Bucshon, and Mr. Smith of Missouri) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
   and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to include fighters 
         of combat sports in the safety provisions of such Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Muhammad Ali Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTERS.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 2 of the Professional Boxing Safety Act 
of 1996 (15 U.S.C. 6301) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (15) as 
        paragraphs (5), (6), (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), 
        (15), (16), and (17), respectively;
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Fighter.--The term `fighter' means an individual who 
        fights in a professional mixed martial arts competition or 
        other professional combat sport competition.'';
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (7), as so redesignated, 
        the following:
            ``(8) Combat sport competition.--The term `combat sport 
        competition' means a professional fight that allows fighters to 
        use one or more forms of martial arts, including mixed martial 
        arts. Such term does not include--
                    ``(A) a combat sport that allows the use of a 
                weapon or foreign object; or
                    ``(B) a competition that is regulated by an amateur 
                sports organization.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(18) Mixed martial arts.--The term `mixed martial arts' 
        means a full-contact combat sport that allows fighters to use 
        both striking and grappling techniques, and both standing and 
        on the ground, from a variety of other combat sports and 
        martial arts.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Sections 3 through 21 (other than section 20) of the 
        Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 (15 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) 
        are amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``or fighter'' after ``boxer'' 
                each place it appears;
                    (B) by inserting ``and fighters'' after ``boxers'' 
                each place it appears;
                    (C) by inserting ``or combat sport competition'' 
                after ``boxing match'' each place it appears;
                    (D) by inserting ``and combat sport competitions'' 
                after ``boxing matches'' each place it appears;
                    (E) by inserting ``or competition'' after ``the 
                match'' each place it appears; and
                    (F) by striking ``boxing service provider'' and 
                inserting ``boxing or combat sport service provider''.
            (2) Section 2 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6301) is further 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and combat 
                sport competitions'' after ``professional boxing 
                matches'';
                    (B) in paragraphs (3), (6), and (14), by inserting 
                ``and fighters'' after ``boxers'' each place it 
                appears;
                    (C) in paragraphs (4), (11), and (13), by inserting 
                ``or fighter'' after ``boxer'' each place it appears;
                    (D) in paragraphs (6), (9), and (14), by inserting 
                ``or combat sport competition'' after ``professional 
                boxing match'' each place it appears;
                    (E) in paragraph (9), by inserting ``or 
                competition'' after ``the match'' each place it 
                appears;
                    (F) in paragraphs (12) and (13), by striking 
                ``boxing service provider'' and inserting ``boxing or 
                combat sport service provider''; and
                    (G) in paragraph (15) by inserting ``or combat 
                sports'' after ``boxing''.
            (3) Section 3(2) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6302(2)) is further 
        amended by inserting ``and professional combat sports 
        industry'' after ``professional boxing industry''.
            (4) Section 4(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6303(a)) is further 
        amended by inserting ``and combat sport regulations'' after 
        ``professional boxing regulations''.
            (5) Section 6(c) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6305(c)) is further 
        amended by inserting ``and fighting'' after ``risk associated 
        with boxing''.
            (6) Section 7(a)(2) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6306(a)(2)) is 
        further amended by inserting ``or compete'' after ``box''.
            (7) Section 9 of such Act is further amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Within 2'' and inserting the 
                following:
    ``(a) Boxing Contracts.--Within 2''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Combat Sports Contracts.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of the Muhammad Ali Expansion Act, the Association of 
Boxing Commissions (ABC) shall develop and shall approve by a vote of 
no less than a majority of its member State boxing commissioners, 
guidelines for minimum contractual provisions that should be included 
in bout agreements and mixed martial arts and other combat sport 
contracts. It is the sense of the Congress that State boxing 
commissions should follow these ABC guidelines.''.
            (8) Section 10(a) of such Act is further amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``or 
                fighter's'' after ``boxer's''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``This subsection'' and 
                        inserting ``With respect to boxing contracts, 
                        this subsection''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following: 
                        ``With respect to mixed martial arts and other 
                        combat sport contracts, this subsection shall 
                        only apply to contracts entered into after the 
                        date of the enactment of the Muhammad Ali 
                        Expansion Act.''.
            (9) Section 11 of such Act is further amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking ``Within 2'' and inserting 
                        the following:
            ``(1) Boxing contracts.--Within 2''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Combat sports.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
        of the enactment of the Muhammad Ali Expansion Act, the 
        Association of Boxing Commissions shall develop and shall 
        approve by a vote of no less than a majority of its member 
        State boxing commissioners, guidelines for objective and 
        consistent written criteria for the ratings of mixed martial 
        arts and other combat sports. It is the sense of the Congress 
        that sanctioning bodies and State boxing commissions should 
        follow these ABC guidelines.''; and
                    (B) in subsection (d)(1)(C) is amended by striking 
                ``boxer's rating'' and inserting ``boxer or fighter's 
                rating''.
            (10) Section 13 of such Act is further amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``boxer's 
                purse'' and inserting ``boxer or fighter's purse''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b), by striking ``boxer's 
                purse'' and inserting ``boxer or fighter's purse''.
            (11) Section 17(b)(2)(B) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
        6308(b)(2)(B)) is further amended by inserting ``, and fighters 
        participating in a mixed martial arts competition or other 
        combat sport competition scheduled for 11 minutes or more'' 
        after ``10 rounds or more''.
            (12) Section 18(b)(3) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 6309(b)(3)) is 
        further amended by inserting ``or combat sport'' after ``State 
        boxing''.
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