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HB 1952

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2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ian Lovejoy and 1 co-sponsor

Arkansas HB 1952 clarifies combative-sports regulation: excludes professional wrestling from commission authority except for large events and tightens referee training, reporting,

Passed by indefinitely in Privileges and Elections (8-Y 7-N)
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Bill Summary · HB 1952

Bill Summary — HB 1952

Note on document inconsistencies
- The materials provided appear to combine content from more than one bill and more than one state (Arkansas and Illinois). The title you supplied (an appropriation for a Paramedic Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Program) does not match the primary bill text included, which is an Arkansas bill amending the State Athletic Commission’s combative-sports laws. An Illinois insertion (a $2 appropriation to the Comptroller) is also present. The status line you supplied says “Died In Committee,” but the action log contains conflicting entries (including passage/enrollment). Because of this, this summary focuses on the substantive Arkansas provisions shown in the bill text and flags procedural inconsistencies at the end.

Purpose and intent
- The primary intent of the Arkansas HB 1952 draft is to revise and clarify regulation of “combative sports” administered by the State Athletic Commission — clarifying definitions, limiting commission authority over professional wrestling, tightening training/certification for referees and judges, and specifying reporting and fee obligations for promoters and venues.

Key provisions (substantive changes)
- Definitions (Ark. Code § 17-22-101(3)):
- Revises the definition of “combative sports” (boxing, kick boxing, wrestling, professional wrestling, martial arts, Muay Thai, etc.).
- Specifies that “combative sports” does not include professional wrestling and excludes certain student training/exhibitions (e.g., martial arts school-run recreational/partial-contact, point-scoring student events).

  • Commission authority (Ark. Code § 17-22-204(a)):

    • Confirms commission’s jurisdiction over combative-sports matches and exhibitions but states the commission “shall have no authority over professional wrestling events.”
    • Establishes that amateur/self-regulated events are governed by the commission unless sanctioned by a federally recognized sanctioning body or a 501(c)(3) national oversight body operating in ≥6 states and approved in writing.
    • Provides that professional wrestling events with attendance of 1,500 or more shall be governed by the commission.

  • Referee/judge training (Ark. Code § 17-22-302(f)):

    • Requires referees/judges for professional events to attend training and obtain certification from the Association of Boxing Commissions or another commission-approved sanctioned organization.
    • Allows training to be completed anywhere in the U.S. if documentation is provided with a license application.

  • Reporting and fees (Ark. Code § 17-22-306(a)):

    • Promoter/manager must file a written report under penalty of perjury within 5 business days after an event showing tickets sold and gross receipts.
    • Promoter must pay a 5% fee on total gross admission receipts; if the venue collects and remits sales tax for the promoter, the 5% is computed on net gate receipts after sales tax.
    • If admission is provided for non-cash payment, the commission will determine the valuation method or set a reasonable per-person price.
    • Promoters must pay costs of event inspectors/investigators and reimbursements to the commission, including:
    • Event inspector/investigator costs (capped at $125/day per inspector in most language),
    • Event permit processing fee of $50,
    • National/federal fighter database fees,
    • Per diem, travel, and other reimbursements authorized by statute.

Who is affected
- State Athletic Commission (administration, oversight duties)
- Professional and amateur promoters, managers, venues
- Referees, judges, and other officials (training/certification requirements)
- Combative-sports athletes and sanctioning bodies
- Professional wrestling promoters (explicit partial exclusion except for large events ≥1,500 attendees)
- Event inspectors/investigators (costing/compensation rules)

Procedural and timeline notes / status
- Introduced Jan 17, 2025 (sponsor: Rep. Hawk; Sen. J. Dismang listed as co-sponsor). Tony M. McCombie appears in separate Illinois-related entries.
- The materials include subcommittee hearings and committee actions dated March–April 2025, with entries such as “Left pending in subcommittee” and “Died In Committee.”
- However, the action log also contains contradictory entries (e.g., “Passed,” “Act 947,” “Correctly enrolled”) and an unrelated Illinois appropriation text.
- Given these contradictions, the bill’s final status is unclear from the provided documents. You should verify the official status and final text with the relevant state legislative website or clerk (Arkansas or the state specified) before relying on the bill for legal or administrative decisions.

Suggested next steps
- Confirm the intended bill (state and bill number) and obtain the official engrossed/enrolled version from the Arkansas General Assembly (or other state) website.
- If your interest is the Paramedic Recruitment/Retention Scholarship appropriation mentioned in the heading, request the correct bill text or bill number for that proposal.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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