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Committee approves HB 1073 to shift bare-knuckle-fighting oversight under boxing rules
Summary
House Bill 1073, as amended, moves regulation of bare-knuckle fighting from martial-arts oversight to boxing regulation and passed the Public Policy Committee by a 9-0 roll call vote. Sponsor said the change is intended to create a regulatory framework for safety, consistency and revenue.
The Indiana Legislature Public Policy Committee approved House Bill 1073, as amended, to move regulation of bare-knuckle fighting from the martial-arts regulatory framework to the boxing framework. The committee passed the bill by roll call vote, 9-0.
Senator Baldwin, the bill sponsor, told the committee the amendment (Amendment 3) "moves the regulatory team to the bare knuckle fighting from under the martial arts to boxing." Baldwin said the change is intended to provide a regulatory framework similar to boxing and mixed martial arts that would allow for safety standards, consistent oversight and revenue generation. "It is a solid sport," Baldwin said, adding that participants and the state would benefit from regulation.
Committee members asked general questions about organizations involved. One committee member asked whether large organizations, analogous to wrestling federations, are currently involved; the sponsor replied that groups are conducting bare-knuckle events but that they lack the regulations that exist for boxing and MMA.
No members of the public signed up to testify. Following brief discussion and adoption of the amendment by consent, the committee moved the bill and took a roll call vote. The roll call as recorded in the transcript shows nine affirmative votes and no negatives; the clerk announced the bill passed "as amended 9 to 0." The transcript includes light banter among senators about staging a demonstration and references to caucus relationships but records no additional directions to staff, fiscal estimates, or implementation timelines.
The committee record does not include an estimate of anticipated revenue, specific safety standards to be applied, or the agency that will administer the transferred regulatory responsibility; those details would be expected in subsequent drafting or agency fiscal analyses but are not specified in the committee transcript.
