Will Governor Dan Malloy passes MMA Bill?
by Brian Woodman Jr. on 06/19/13
House Bill 5277, which was proposed this year and passed both houses in the Connecticut State Legislature, was assigned Public Act 13-259 on June 19. After five attempts by state legislators, Mixed Martial Arts as a sport is now the closest it has yet come to being legal in Connecticut outside of the state's Indian reservations(the text for the act may be found here; http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/ACT/PA/2013PA-00259-R00HB-05277-PA.htm).
If Governor Dan Malloy signs it, only New York will remain as a state where MMA is illegal. On some e-boards posters have commented that passage in Connecticut would likely provide the impetus required for New York to legalize the sport.
"I expected it," said Bill Vigil, owner of AMMO Fight League in Glastonbury, regarding the bill's progress. "Connecticut needs any opportunity that is presented to bring income to this state."
But what will happen next if it is passed?
Some people connected with the industry have expressed concern regarding a state budget provision that would require MMA organizations to pay health costs incurred by fighters from events.
Joe Cuff, the matchmaker and a spokesperson for the Marlborough-based MMA organization Reality Fighting/NAGA, said it was standard for state athletic commissions to require promotions to insure fighters. He added that it varied between states.
He speculated publicly to other media, however, about to what extent the state would require organizations to pay. He and Vigil commented to www.nutmegmma.com on June 19 that they were still forming an opinion on the health provisions, which were proposed as part of House Bill 6706 (now Public Act 13-247).
Vigil said that he and representatives of other organizations were discussing whether to wait until next year to hold an event in Connecticut. He said they want to observe how the public act will operate in practice if it is signed, adding that he hoped the state's regulations would not prove burdensome on smaller promotions.
(Editor's note: this blog entry contained a major error when it was first posted. I apologize to our readers).
