Relating To Combat Sports.
SB148 reorganizes Hawaii’s combat sports regulatory framework by renaming the State Boxing Commission of Hawaii as the Boxing and Combat Sports Commission of Hawaii and expanding its authority from boxing alone to include combat sports contests. The bill creates a new statutory part governing combat sports, defines key terms such as combat sports, promoters, contestants, managers, referees, and no-rules combat, and establishes a licensing and approval system for promoters and participants. It also sets event standards, including age limits, medical examinations, insurance, bonds, physician and referee requirements, reporting obligations, ticket rules, drug testing, and disciplinary procedures.
The bill also repeals the existing mixed martial arts contests program and folds combat sports oversight into Chapter 440. It expressly prohibits “no rules combat or similar contests,” while allowing regulated combat sports contests under commission supervision. In addition, it updates related statutes to reflect the new commission name, changes administrative references within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and appropriates general funds for staffing the commission in fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. The bill’s effective date is set far in the future, July 1, 3000, except for the appropriation section, which takes effect July 1, 2025.
The bill would substantially amend Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 440 by splitting boxing rules into a boxing part and a new combat sports part, expanding the commission’s jurisdiction, and repealing Chapter 440E (the mixed martial arts contests program). It would also revise cross-references in other statutes, including administrative placement provisions and fee-setting authority, to reflect the renamed Boxing and Combat Sports Commission of Hawaii. The measure affects promoters, contestants, managers, physicians, referees, judges, timekeepers, and other participants by imposing licensing, medical, financial, and reporting requirements, and it creates new enforcement and penalty provisions for violations.
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, with unanimous or near-unanimous support in most committees. It passed Senate Economic Development and Technology and Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection unanimously, and Senate Ways and Means unanimously as well. Senate Judiciary passed it with one dissenting vote, indicating broad support overall but not complete consensus. No committee transcripts were provided, so the record does not show detailed public testimony or debate themes beyond the amendments adopted along the way.
The main points of contention appear to be the scope and structure of regulation rather than whether combat sports should be regulated at all. The bill expands state oversight into combat sports while also banning “no rules combat or similar contests,” which suggests a policy balance between promoting events like UFC-style competitions and limiting high-risk, minimally regulated fighting. Potential concerns likely center on athlete safety, medical suspensions, drug testing, promoter obligations, and the level of commission control over events and licensing. The single nay vote in Senate Judiciary indicates at least some disagreement, but the available record does not identify the specific objection.