New York Assembly to Vote on MMA Regulation Bill on June 3rd

ByDavid Wray
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New York Assembly to Vote on MMA Regulation Bill on June 3rd

Matt Serra UFC MMA
(Vote ‘yes’ or Matt Serra will eat this baby. Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com)

After months of debate and delay, the New York State Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports has set a date for their vote on bill 2009-B, intended to regulate mixed martial arts in New York. MMA Weekly confirmed that the vote will take place Wednesday, June 3rd, and passed along these additional details:

Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, a Democrat representing the county of New York, will present the arguments in favor of the bill. Assemblyman Bob Reilly [Ed. note: Boooooo!], a Democrat representing Albany and Saratoga counties, will present the arguments opposing the bill. Mr. Reilly has been a vocal critic of the sport and last month released a document to committee members that outlined his arguments against legalizing the sport.
Out of 21 committee members, 11 votes are needed to pass the bill out of committee with a favorable review. If it passes, it then heads to the Codes Committee (for bills with legal implications) followed by the Ways and Means Committee (for bills with fiscal implications). Both committees will vote on the bill before passing it to the Assembly floor for a general vote.

In other words, don’t expect the ban to be lifted anytime soon — but this is a great first step, and if you’ve contributed to the cause in some way, pat yourself on the back. We already know that Assemblyman Bing, Assemblyman Rob Walker, and Assembly Chair Steve Englebright are supporters of the bill, so only eight more votes will be required to pass it onto Codes. Meanwhile, Bob Reilly is the only assembly member who has publicly come out against the bill. Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t have allies on June 3rd, but it’s still a good sign. More to come…

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