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An Act To Protect Sports Officials
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §207-B  is enacted to read:
§ 207-B.  Assault on a sports official
 
1.      A person is guilty of assault on a sports official if the person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury or offensive physical contact to a sports official and that assault occurs within the confines of or immediate vicinity of an athletic facility at which the sports official is acting or was acting in the capacity of a sports official, except at a professional sporting event.
 
2.      Assault on a sports official is a Class D crime. Notwithstanding section 207 and section 1301, subsection 1-A, paragraph D, assault on a sports official is punishable by a maximum fine of $4,000.
 
3.      As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
 
A.  "Professional sporting event" means any professional athletic or sporting contest, match or exhibition, including, but not limited to, professional football, baseball, basketball, tennis, boxing, wrestling, horse racing and automobile racing.
 
B.  "Sports official" means a person who participates in a sport in the position of referee, umpire, judge, timekeeper or other similar position, including an assistant to any such person, who is a registered member of a local, state, regional or national organization engaged in providing education and training to sports officials. "Sports official" does not include a person participating in the sport as a team member or contestant or officiating at a professional sporting event.
 
SUMMARY
This bill creates the crime of assault on a sports official. The new crime is a Class D crime, the same as assault, except that the maximum fine that may be imposed is increased from $2,000 to $4,000. This crime does not apply to a person officiating at a professional sporting event.