House committee approves Idaho Athletic Commission pending rules, including WADA adoption and charity-event fee waiver

The House State Affairs Committee voted to adopt pending rules from the Idaho Athletic Commission that update incorporation references, reorganize chapter structure and clarify several licensing and event requirements. John Price, bureau chief for the Occupational Licensing Bureau and executive officer for the Idaho Athletic Commission, presented the changes and said they reflect negotiated rulemaking and stakeholder input.

Price said the clean version of the pending chapter was reorganized to follow the division's rule‑writing manual and incorporate stakeholder requests. "On page 18 rule 2.03, the Commission updated the incorporation by reference to the World Anti Doping Agency," Price told the committee, explaining the commission now cites the WADA prohibited‑substances list. Price also noted that rule reorganizations and deletions were intended to remove overreach, such as deleting an old prohibition that prevented licensees from having dealings with persons whose licenses were suspended or revoked.

Other substantive changes approved by the committee include: giving the commission sole discretion to approve entities to hold sanctioned amateur events; clarifying that a manager under temporary suspension forfeits managerial rights only during a sanctioned event; allowing the commission to waive chapter rules (including fees) for eligible charity events; changing the required timeframe to submit an itemized statement from 72 hours to five business days; and revising medical‑personnel language so that health staff must be on‑site at sanctioned events rather than merely available.

Representative Alfieri pointed out an incomplete sentence in the proposed addendum related to female combatants and the commission agreed to have the transcription corrected. Representative Crane pressed for future rule language to explicitly reference "biological male combatants" in the female‑combatant provision; Price said he would ensure that suggested language is addressed next year.

Representative Kelly and others asked whether recently proposed or pending legislation on charity events affected the rules; Price said the pending rules stop short of exempting nonprofits from all statutes but allow the commission discretion to waive fees for charity events while preserving safety standards for fighters and audiences. Price told the committee the commission had worked with stakeholders to address fee concerns and public‑safety issues.

The committee moved to adopt the pending docket for the Idaho Athletic Commission; the motion carried by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: The pending rule docket for the Idaho Athletic Commission (docket presented in the committee packet) was adopted by committee voice vote. The committee recorded changes requested for correction (an incomplete addendum sentence) and asked staff to consider statutory alignment and proposed clarifications in the next rule cycle.

(Reporting note: direct quotes and specific page references are taken from the committee transcript and the agency presentation.)