AB399: Bill Text

LRB-1899/1

JEO:wlj&jlg:km

1999 - 2000 LEGISLATURE

1999 Assembly BILL 399

July 6, 1999 - Introduced by Representatives Kaufert, Underheim, Musser, Handrick, Ainsworth, Urban and Kreibich, cosponsored by Senator Roessler. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Personal Privacy.

AB399,1,2 An Act to create 940.20 (8) of the statutes; relating to: battery to a sports official and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, ordinary battery (intentionally causing bodily harm to another person without consent) is a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by imprisonment of not more than nine months or a fine of not more than $10,000 or both. However, current law also provides for felony penalties for ordinary battery that is committed under certain special circumstances. Under these so-called "special circumstances" batteries, it is a felony to commit ordinary battery against law enforcement officers, fire fighters, probation and parole agents, witnesses, jurors, school district officers and employes, public transit vehicle operators and passengers, emergency medical technicians, ambulance drivers and certain public officials.

This bill makes it a Class E felony for a person to commit an ordinary battery against a sports official because of any official act of the sports official or in order to influence the official acts of the sports official. A Class E felony is punishable by imprisonment of not more than two years or a fine of not more than $10,000 or both, if the offense occurs before December 31, 1999, or by imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine of not more than $10,000 or both, if the offense occurs on or after December 31, 1999.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB399, s. 1 Section 1. 940.20 (8) of the statutes is created to read:

AB399,2,2 940.20 (8) Battery to sports official. (a) In this subsection:

AB399,2,7 1. "Sports event" means any organized athletic activity, including interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic activity, intramural athletic activity organized or conducted by an elementary or secondary school or a college or university, any organized athletic activity sponsored by a community, business or nonprofit organization and any professional or semiprofessional athletic activity.

AB399,2,10 2. "Sports official" means a referee, umpire, judge, linesperson, timekeeper, scorekeeper or other person at a sports event who, while present at the sports event, conducts or supervises the sports event or enforces the rules of the sports event.

AB399,2,13 (b) Whoever intentionally causes bodily harm to a sports official because of any official act of the sports official or in order to influence the official acts of the sports official, without the consent of the person injured, is guilty of a Class E felony.

AB399, s. 2 Section 2. Initial applicability.

AB399,2,16 (1) This act first applies to offenses committed on the effective date of this subsection.

AB399,2,17 (End)