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House backs creation of Utah Sports Authority after amendments
Summary
The House passed a bill establishing a Utah Sports Authority to consolidate state roles related to sports promotion and venue oversight. Debate addressed temporary changes to commission size, fee schedules, and protection for existing non-profit commissions; a substitute amendment was adopted before final passage.
Representative Hughes presented second substitute Senate Bill 167, saying the measure consolidates several state functions into a single Utah Sports Authority to promote sports and recreational activities and to focus economic development potential. “What we're trying to do is focus these energies, focus these missions into one specific authority,” Hughes said.
Members raised questions about commission composition. Representative Ray and others worried the bill temporarily reduces the commission from five to three members, removes certain licensing requirements, and strikes a character requirement for promoters; they urged caution, particularly for boxing and mixed-martial-arts regulation. Representative Hughes explained the shrink to three commissioners would be temporary (about six months) while the authority focuses on reconciling regulatory disparities, then return to five commissioners.
A substitute motion (amendment number 1, then a substitute amendment that allowed a commission-determined fee schedule) was adopted to address concerns about fee burdens and to clarify coordination with the existing Pete Suazo Athletic Commission and nonprofit entities. After discussion and technical fixes, the House passed the second substitute as amended, 60–11; the bill will be forwarded to the Senate.
