Expands the definition of special victim to include sports officials at a sporting event
HB 3213 revises Missouri’s criminal law definition of “special victim” in section 565.002, RSMo. The bill repeals the existing section and replaces it with a new version that keeps the current list of protected categories and adds a new category: sports officials assaulted at a sporting event while performing their duties, or as a direct result of those duties. The bill defines “sports official” broadly to include judges, linesmen, officials, referees, and umpires, and applies to sporting events at all levels of competition.
The measure also restates the chapter’s definitions for terms used in the assault and related offense provisions, including child, domestic victim, emotional distress, nudity, privacy, and various categories of protected workers and vulnerable persons. In practical terms, the bill would expand the class of victims who receive enhanced legal protection and potentially more serious criminal treatment when assaulted under the statute’s special-victim framework.
HB 3213 would amend section 565.002, RSMo, which supplies definitions used in Missouri’s criminal code chapter governing assault and related offenses. By adding sports officials to the “special victim” definition, the bill would extend existing enhanced protections and penalties tied to assaults on special victims to referees, umpires, judges, linesmen, and similar certified or registered officials at sporting events. The bill also preserves and re-enacts the statute’s existing definitions for law enforcement, emergency personnel, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, vulnerable persons, jailers, corrections officers, highway workers, utility workers, cable workers, and mass transit employees.
The available context suggests generally favorable or at least noncontroversial treatment of the bill, with no recorded committee testimony or roll-call votes indicating organized opposition. The caption and drafting indicate a targeted public-safety measure aimed at protecting sports officials from assault, which is typically framed as a workplace safety and deterrence issue. Because there are no transcripts or votes provided, the broader legislative sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s apparent straightforward protective purpose.
The main policy question raised by the bill is whether sports officials should be added to the list of “special victims,” which can trigger enhanced criminal consequences. Supporters would likely view the change as necessary to deter assaults and recognize the role of officials in maintaining safe and orderly sporting events. Potential concerns, if any, would center on whether the special-victim category should be expanded further and whether the definition of sports official is broad enough or too broad, but no explicit opposition or debate is reflected in the provided record.