HBA-NRS H.B. 276 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 276 By: Berman Civil Practices 4/3/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law provides that sports officials may be liable for damages created by or originating from officiating. It is the growing consensus of major officiating associations that all sports from the amateur level to the professional level have seen an increase in aggression and violence at athletic contests. House Bill 276 protects sports officials from being liable for damages resulting from officiating an athletic contest. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 276 amends the Civil Practice and Remedies Code to provide that an individual serving as a sports official is not liable for civil damages arising from an act or omission by the sports official relating to officiating an athletic contest and that occurs in the facility where the contest takes place. An exception to this provision is if the act or omission is intentional, wilfully or wantonly negligent, or done with conscious indifference or reckless disregard for the safety of others. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.