An Act To Protect Sports Officials
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0727
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: DIAMOND, MAZUREK, BARTLETT, RAYE, SCHNEIDER, SUTHERLAND, TUTTLE

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th .MAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 727 
S.P.277 
. In Senate, February 24, 
An Act To Protect Sports Officials 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Senator DIAMOND of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Representative MAZUREK of Rockland and 
~gtJ~ 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senators: BARTLETT of Cumberland, McCORMICK of Kennebec, RAYE of Washington, 
SCHNEIDER of Penobscot, Representatives: SUTHERLAND of Chapman, TUTTLE of 
Sanford. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 17-A MR.SA §207-B is enacted to read: 
§207-B. Assault on a sports official 
.1. A person is guilty of assault on a sports official if the person intentionally, 
lmowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury or offensive physical contact to a sports 
official and that assault occurs within the confmes of or immediate vicinity of an athletic 
facility at which the sports official is acting or was acting in the capacity of a sports 
official, except at aprofessional sporting event. 
2. Assault on a sports official is a Class D crime. Notwithstanding section 207 and 
section 1301, subsection I-A, paragraph D, assault on a sports official ispuillshable by a 
maximum fme of $4,000. 
3. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
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have the following meanings. 
A. "Professional sporting event" means any professional athletic or sporting contest, 
match or exhibition, including, but not limited to, professional football, baseball, 
basketball, tennis, boxing, wrestling, horse racing and automobile racing. 
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B. "Sports official" means a person who' participates in a sport in the position of 
referee, umpire, judge, timekeeper or other similar position, including an assistant to 
any such person, who is a registered member of a local, state, regional or national 
organization engaged in providing education and training to sports officials. "Sports 
official" does not include a person participating in the sport as a team member or 
contestant or officiating at a professional sporting event. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates the crime of assault on a sports official. The new crime is a Class D 
crime, the same as assault, except that the maximum fine that may be i~posed is 
increased from $2,000 to $4,000. This crime does not apply to a person officiating at a 
professional sporting event. 
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