BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON
          BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
                              Senator Jerry Hill, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          Bill No:            SB 587          Hearing Date:    January 11,  
          2016 
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          |Author:   |Stone                                                 |
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          |Version:  |January 4, 2016                                       |
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          |Urgency:  |No                     |Fiscal:    |Yes              |
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          |Consultant|Sarah Mason                                           |
          |:         |                                                      |
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                       Subject:  The State Athletic Commission


          SUMMARY:  Requires the California State Athletic Commission to establish  
          a task force to evaluate the impacts of weight cutting,  
          dehydration and rapid rehydration. 

          Existing law:
          
          1) The Boxing Act, or State Athletic Commission Act (State Act),  
             provides for the licensing and regulation of boxers,  
             kickboxers, martial arts athletes and events held in  
             California by the California State Athletic Commission  
             (Commission) within the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)  
             and makes the Commission inoperative and repealed on January  
             1, 2020.  (Business and Professions Code (BPC) § 18600 et  
             seq.)

          2) Establishes an Advisory Committee on Medical and Safety  
             Standards (MAC) consisting of six licensed physicians  
             appointed by the Commission which meets for the purpose of  
             studying and recommending medical and safety standards for  
             the conduct of boxing, wrestling and martial arts contests.   
             (BPC § 18645)

          3) Requires a licensed physician approved by the commission with  
             at least three years of experience in the practice of  
             medicine to be present at all Commission regulated events.   
             Requires the physician present at an event to perform the  







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             physical examination of the contestants and observe the  
             physical condition of the contestants during the event.  (BPC  
             § 18705)

          4) Requires the physician above to conduct a physical  
             examination, not later than at the time of weigh-in, of the  
             contestant and certify in writing as to the contestant's  
             physical condition to engage in the contest or match.   
             Specifies that the weigh-in time shall not be more than 30  
             hours prior to the beginning of the first event.  
          (BPC § 18706)

          5) Requires a contestant to complete a questionnaire developed  
             by the Commission on which he or she is asked to disclose any  
             conditions, including, but not limited to significant weight  
             gain or loss and any change in weight in the seven days prior  
             to the contest.  (Id.)

          6) Requires the Commission to establish by rule the weight  
             spreads and classes of contestants.  (BPC § 18728)

          7) Requires the Commission, by rule and regulation, to prescribe  
             the length and duration of professional and amateur  
             kickboxing and martial arts contests, the weight  
             classifications, the manner in which the contestants engage  
             in such contests and such further safeguards and conditions  
             as shall insure fair, sportsmanlike, and scientific contests.  
              (BPC § 18765)  

          8) Establishes nine weights and classes, including the range of  
             pounds in each class and specifies that no contest shall be  
             scheduled and no contestant engage in a contest where the  
             weight difference exceeds the allowance outlined in  
             regulation.  (4 CCR §298)

          This bill:

          1) Requires the Commission to establish a task force to evaluate  
             the impacts of weight cutting, dehydration, and rapid  
             rehydration.  Authorizes the task force to be comprised of  
             physicians and surgeons with expertise in dehydration and  
             rapid rehydration and boxing and mixed martial arts  
             stakeholders, including licensees.









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          2) Requires the task force, in evaluating impacts of weight  
             cutting, dehydration and rapid rehydration to consider the  
             dangers of certain practices athletes undergo prior to  
             weighing in before an event.  Authorizes the task force to  
             provide recommendations to the Commission that include, but  
             are not limited to, proper techniques to detect dehydration,  
             outreach the Commission can undertake to educate licensees  
             about dehydration and rapid rehydration and the  
             appropriateness of Commission weight classifications.

          FISCAL  
          EFFECT:  Unknown.  This bill is keyed fiscal by Legislative  
          Counsel.

          COMMENTS:
          
          1. Purpose.  The  Author  is the Sponsor of this measure.   
             According to the Author, while the Athletic Commission has  
             taken important first steps to deter dangerous practices that  
             can impact fighter well-being by issuing safety notices and  
             convening stakeholder meetings, extreme weight cutting  
             measures are still being undertaken on a regular basis.  A  
             dedicated focus on this specific issue, through the work of a  
             task force, can be a very helpful tool in the protection and  
             promotion of athletes' health and safety.  The Author is  
             concerned about multiple reports of combat sport athlete  
             injuries, health problems and even deaths related to  
             dangerous steps they take to lose a large amount of weight  
             leading up to a mandatory weigh-in, which often includes heat  
             and sweating efforts to quickly lose weight, and the  
             subsequent rapid rehydration and weight gain activities they  
             then undergo leading up to the actual event.        

          2. Background.  Significant and dangerous weight loss efforts  
             leading up to a fighter's weigh-in before an event can result  
             in dehydration and other negative health impacts like  
             decreased kidney function and increased risk of brain injury,  
             and can also hinder a fighter's performance in the event.   
             The practice of losing a large amount of weight in a short  
             period of time prior to a weigh-in, then gaining weight back  
             in the 24 hours leading up to a fight, can also affect the  
             outcome of a fight.  

             Despite the requirement under current law for contestants to  








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             disclose "significant weight gain or loss and any change in  
             weight in the seven days prior to the contest", this  
             information is rarely if ever provided to the Commission.   
             Extreme weight cutting by combat sport athletes is a problem  
             that the Commission has sought to curb, as reported to this  
             Committee through the Sunset Review oversight process.  The  
             Commission conducted a study on over 500 licensees and  
             determined that weight cutting was prevalent amongst these  
             athletes.  As a means of preventing extreme weight-cutting  
             for combat sports athletes, the Commission has taken steps to  
             deter this dangerous practice.  The Commission is working on  
             altering its weigh-in procedures and requirements as well as  
             implementing a progressive disciplinary system that applies  
             to all licensees, including, but not limited to, promoters  
             and trainers.  The Commission also recently issued a  
             memorandum created in partnership with the Association of  
             Ringside Physicians outlining the dangers of extreme  
             weight-cutting, citing a 2013 study published in the Journal  
             of Strength & Conditioning Research that found that 39  
             percent of mixed martial arts fighters were dehydrated at the  
             time of their events.  The Commission memorandum advised  
             fighters that, among other dangers of cutting their weight  
             and dehydrating themselves, there are at increased risks of  
             brain bleeds and concussion.  The memorandum also encouraged  
             athletes not to use extreme methods for making weight such as  
             excessive heat methods (rubberized suits, steam rooms,  
             saunas), excessive intense bouts of exercise, vomiting,  
             laxatives and diuretics as well as not using dehydration as a  
             mainstay of making weight due to other risks associated with  
             improper rehydration techniques.  
          
          SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION:
          
           Support:  None on file as of January 6, 2016.

           Opposition:  None on file as of January 6, 2016.


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