Bill Text: IA HF52 | 2025-2026 | 91st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-22 - Subcommittee recommends passage. [HF52 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2025-HF52-Introduced.html
House
File
52
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
52
BY
RINKER
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
civil
liability
of
sports
officials,
1
providing
criminal
penalties
for
assault
of
sports
2
officials,
and
including
effective
date
and
applicability
3
provisions.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
671B.1
Definition.
1
“Sports
official”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
section
2
708.3A.
3
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
671B.2
Sports
officials
——
limitation
4
of
liability.
5
A
sports
official
who
officiates
an
athletic
contest
at
any
6
level
of
competition
in
this
state
shall
not
be
liable
to
any
7
person
in
any
civil
action
for
injuries
or
damages
claimed
to
8
have
arisen
due
to
actions
or
inactions
within
the
confines
of
9
the
athletic
facility
at
which
the
athletic
contest
is
played
10
related
in
any
manner
to
the
sports
official’s
officiating
11
duties.
12
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
671B.3
Sports
officials
——
liability
13
protection
not
applicable.
14
This
chapter
does
not
apply
to
a
sports
official
who
causes
15
injury
or
damage
to
a
person
by
actions
or
inactions
that
are
16
intentional,
malicious,
or
grossly
negligent.
17
Sec.
4.
Section
708.3A,
subsections
1,
2,
3,
and
4,
Code
18
2025,
are
amended
to
read
as
follows:
19
1.
A
person
who
commits
an
assault,
as
defined
in
section
20
708.1
,
against
a
peace
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
21
member
or
employee
of
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
22
provider,
employee
of
the
department
of
health
and
human
23
services,
employee
of
the
department
of
revenue,
national
24
guard
member
engaged
in
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
25
duty,
civilian
employee
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
26
employee
of
a
fire
department,
or
fire
fighter,
whether
paid
27
or
volunteer,
or
sports
official,
with
the
knowledge
that
28
the
person
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
peace
29
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
member
or
employee
of
30
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
provider,
employee
of
the
31
department
of
health
and
human
services,
employee
of
the
32
department
of
revenue,
national
guard
member
engaged
in
33
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
duty,
civilian
employee
34
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
employee
of
a
fire
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department,
or
fire
fighter
,
or
sports
official,
and
with
the
1
intent
to
inflict
a
serious
injury
upon
the
peace
officer,
2
jailer,
correctional
staff,
member
or
employee
of
the
board
3
of
parole,
health
care
provider,
employee
of
the
department
4
of
health
and
human
services,
employee
of
the
department
of
5
revenue,
national
guard
member
engaged
in
national
guard
duty
6
or
state
active
duty,
civilian
employee
of
a
law
enforcement
7
agency,
civilian
employee
of
a
fire
department,
or
fire
8
fighter,
or
sports
official,
is
guilty
of
a
class
“D”
felony.
9
2.
A
person
who
commits
an
assault,
as
defined
in
section
10
708.1
,
against
a
peace
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
11
member
or
employee
of
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
12
provider,
employee
of
the
department
of
health
and
human
13
services,
employee
of
the
department
of
revenue,
national
14
guard
member
engaged
in
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
15
duty,
civilian
employee
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
16
employee
of
a
fire
department,
or
fire
fighter,
whether
paid
17
or
volunteer,
who
knows
or
sports
official,
knowing
that
18
the
person
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
peace
19
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
member
or
employee
of
20
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
provider,
employee
of
the
21
department
of
health
and
human
services,
employee
of
the
22
department
of
revenue,
national
guard
member
engaged
in
23
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
duty,
civilian
employee
24
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
employee
of
a
fire
25
department,
or
fire
fighter
,
or
sports
official,
and
who
uses
26
or
displays
a
dangerous
weapon
in
connection
with
the
assault,
27
is
guilty
of
a
class
“D”
felony.
28
3.
A
person
who
commits
an
assault,
as
defined
in
section
29
708.1
,
against
a
peace
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
30
member
or
employee
of
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
31
provider,
employee
of
the
department
of
health
and
human
32
services,
employee
of
the
department
of
revenue,
national
33
guard
member
engaged
in
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
34
duty,
civilian
employee
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
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employee
of
a
fire
department,
or
fire
fighter,
whether
paid
1
or
volunteer,
who
knows
or
sports
official,
knowing
that
2
the
person
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
peace
3
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
member
or
employee
of
4
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
provider,
employee
of
the
5
department
of
health
and
human
services,
employee
of
the
6
department
of
revenue,
national
guard
member
engaged
in
7
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
duty,
civilian
employee
8
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
employee
of
a
fire
9
department,
or
fire
fighter,
or
sports
official,
and
who
causes
10
bodily
injury
or
mental
illness,
is
guilty
of
an
aggravated
11
misdemeanor.
12
4.
Any
other
assault,
as
defined
in
section
708.1
,
committed
13
against
a
peace
officer,
jailer,
correctional
staff,
member
or
14
employee
of
the
board
of
parole,
health
care
provider,
employee
15
of
the
department
of
health
and
human
services,
employee
of
16
the
department
of
revenue,
national
guard
member
engaged
in
17
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
duty,
civilian
employee
18
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
employee
of
a
fire
19
department,
or
fire
fighter,
whether
paid
or
volunteer,
or
20
sports
official
by
a
person
who
knows
that
the
person
against
21
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
peace
officer,
jailer,
22
correctional
staff,
member
or
employee
of
the
board
of
parole,
23
health
care
provider,
employee
of
the
department
of
health
and
24
human
services,
employee
of
the
department
of
revenue,
national
25
guard
member
engaged
in
national
guard
duty
or
state
active
26
duty,
civilian
employee
of
a
law
enforcement
agency,
civilian
27
employee
of
a
fire
department,
or
fire
fighter,
or
sports
28
official
is
a
serious
misdemeanor.
29
Sec.
5.
Section
708.3A,
subsection
5,
Code
2025,
is
amended
30
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
31
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0h.
“Sports
official”
means
an
individual
32
who
serves
as
a
referee,
umpire,
or
linesman,
or
in
a
similar
33
capacity,
at
any
athletic
contest,
and
who
is
a
member
of
34
or
registered
with
a
local,
state,
regional,
or
national
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organization
that
is
engaged,
in
part,
in
providing
education
1
and
training
to
referees,
umpires,
linesman,
or
persons
in
2
similar
capacities.
3
Sec.
6.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
immediate
4
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
5
Sec.
7.
APPLICABILITY.
The
following
apply
to
legal
actions
6
commenced
on
or
after
the
effective
date
of
this
Act,
including
7
legal
actions
that
allege
actions
or
inactions
of
a
sports
8
official
that
occurred
prior
to
the
effective
date
of
this
Act:
9
1.
The
section
of
this
Act
enacting
section
671B.1.
10
2.
The
section
of
this
Act
enacting
section
671B.2.
11
3.
The
section
of
this
Act
enacting
section
671B.3.
12
EXPLANATION
13
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
14
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
15
This
bill
provides
that
a
sports
official
who
officiates
16
an
athletic
contest
at
any
level
of
competition
in
Iowa
shall
17
not
be
liable
to
any
person
in
any
civil
action
for
injuries
18
or
damages
claimed
to
have
arisen
due
to
actions
or
inactions
19
within
the
confines
of
the
athletic
facility
at
which
the
20
athletic
contest
is
played
related
in
any
manner
to
the
sports
21
official’s
officiating
duties.
This
provision
does
not
apply
22
to
a
sports
official
who
causes
injury
or
damage
to
a
person
23
by
actions
or
inactions
that
are
intentional,
malicious,
or
24
grossly
negligent.
The
bill
applies
to
legal
actions
commenced
25
after
the
effective
date
of
the
bill,
including
legal
actions
26
that
allege
actions
or
inactions
of
a
sports
official
that
27
occurred
prior
to
the
effective
date
of
the
bill.
28
The
bill
provides
that
a
person
who
commits
an
assault
29
against
a
sports
official,
with
the
knowledge
that
the
person
30
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
sports
official,
31
and
with
the
intent
to
commit
a
serious
injury,
is
guilty
of
a
32
class
“D”
felony.
The
bill
provides
that
a
person
who
commits
33
an
assault
against
a
sports
official,
who
knows
that
the
person
34
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
sports
official,
and
35
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who
uses
or
displays
a
dangerous
weapon
in
connection
with
the
1
assault,
is
guilty
of
a
class
“D”
felony.
The
bill
provides
2
that
a
person
who
commits
an
assault
against
a
sports
official,
3
who
knows
that
the
person
against
whom
the
assault
is
committed
4
is
a
sports
official,
and
who
causes
bodily
injury
or
mental
5
illness,
is
guilty
of
an
aggravated
misdemeanor.
The
bill
6
provides
that
any
other
assault
committed
against
a
sports
7
official
by
a
person
who
knows
that
the
person
against
whom
8
the
assault
is
committed
is
a
sports
official
is
a
serious
9
misdemeanor.
A
class
“D”
felony
is
punishable
by
confinement
10
for
no
more
than
five
years
and
a
fine
of
at
least
$1,025
but
11
not
more
than
$10,245.
An
aggravated
misdemeanor
is
punishable
12
by
confinement
for
no
more
than
two
years
and
a
fine
of
at
13
least
$855
but
not
more
than
$8,540.
A
serious
misdemeanor
is
14
punishable
by
confinement
for
no
more
than
one
year
and
a
fine
15
of
at
least
$430
but
not
more
than
$2,560.
16
The
bill
defines
“sports
official”
as
an
individual
who
17
serves
as
a
referee,
umpire,
or
linesman,
or
in
a
similar
18
capacity,
at
any
athletic
contest,
and
who
is
a
member
of
19
or
registered
with
a
local,
state,
regional,
or
national
20
organization
that
is
engaged,
in
part,
in
providing
education
21
and
training
to
sports
officials.
22
The
bill
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
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