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Senate committees back unified combat sports commission, adopt health and timing amendments
Summary
Senators voted to pass SB 148 with amendments to create a Combat Sports Commission of Hawaii, combine boxing and mixed martial arts regulation into one commission and add health-professional requirements; the measure’s effective date was deferred to 2050 in committee action.
The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection and a joint Economic Development and Tourism committee on Jan. 29 recommended passing SB 148 with amendments that would establish a Hawaii Combat Sports Commission to regulate boxing and mixed martial arts.
The measure, as amended in committee, combines regulation of mixed martial arts and boxing into a unified commission and adopts health-related amendments proposed by the Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses to ensure additional health professionals are available to staff events.
Advocates from local promoters and industry participants urged the measure, saying a commission could help revive combat sports activity in the state. Bob Gunther, testifying for Koloa Rum Company earlier in the hearing on a different bill, described how other jurisdictions’ athletic commissions help bring events and oversight; proponents of SB 148 said a dedicated commission could make it easier for Hawaii promoters to attract larger events.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs provided written comments and spoke to staffing and implementation concerns. Committee staff and DCCA executives discussed the number of executive officer and support positions the department would need; the department said it is short-staffed and has had difficulty filling executive officer and secretary positions.
The committees adopted amendments proposed by the attorney general’s office concerning effective-date language and the recommended addition of health professionals; they also adopted DCCA’s recommendation to combine regulation of boxing and MMA under a single commission. During decision making senators agreed to “defect the effective date to July 1, 2050.”
Why it matters: Lawmakers and local industry witnesses said a commission would help restore local events and provide consistent safety and licensing standards. DCCA cautioned about staffing and cost; the committee record includes an estimate for three staff positions if the commissions were split.
What’s next: Committees recorded the recommendation to pass with amendments. The bill will proceed with the adopted amendments in the committee reports.
