HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1952        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Rob Consalvo

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the assault on and aggravated harassment of sports officials.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1952        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to the assault on and aggravated harassment of sports officials.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 265 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 43A the following section:-

Section 43B. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the context requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“Sporting event”, any interscholastic or intramural athletic activity, any organized athletic activity sponsored by a community, business or nonprofit organization, any athletic activity that is a professional or semiprofessional event and any other organized athletic activity enforced by a sports official. A “sporting event” shall also include pre-sporting event and post-sporting event activities and surrounding parking areas.

“Sports official”, any individual who enforces the rules of a sporting event including, but not limited to, a referee, umpire, linesman or someone who serves in a similar capacity but may be known by a different title or name and is duly registered by, or a member of, a local, state, regional or national organization engaged in part in providing education and training to sports officials.

(b) Whoever commits an assault or an assault and battery upon a sports official at a sporting event shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 2 ½ years, or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(c) Whoever willfully and maliciously engages in a knowing pattern of conduct or series of acts at a sporting event directed at a sports official, which seriously alarms that sports official and would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, shall be guilty of the crime of criminal harassment of a sports official and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 2½ years, or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.