[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9415-S9416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MUHAMMAD ALI BOXING REFORM ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       McCAIN AMENDMENT NO. 1368

  Mr. SESSIONS (for Mr. McCain) proposed an amendment to the bill (S. 
305) to reform unfair and anticompetitive practices in the professional 
boxing industry; as follows:

       On page 5, line 2, before ``The'' insert ``(a) In 
     General.--''.
       On page 9, between lines 17 and 18, insert the following:
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     apply to contracts executed after the date of enactment of 
     this Act.
       On page 9, line 25, strike ``by''.
       On page 10, beginning in line 3, strike ``that sanctions 
     professional boxing matches on an interstate basis''.
       On page 11, line 2, strike ``within 14 days''.
       On page 11, line 4, insert ``within 5 business days'' 
     before ``mail''.
       On page 11, line 8, strike ``post a copy, within the 14-day 
     period,'' and insert ``immediately post a copy''.
       On page 11, line 14, strike ``Commissions.'' and insert 
     ``Commissions if the organization does not have an address 
     for the boxer or does not have an Internet website or 
     homepage.
       On page 12, line 20, strike ``alternative.--In lieu of'' 
     and insert ``Posting.--In addition to''.
       On page 12, line 23, strike ``may'' and insert ``shall''.
       On page 15, line 1, strike `by''.
       On page 18, line 11, after ``9(b),'' insert ``9(c),''.
       On page 18, line 15, strike ``the violations occur'' and 
     insert ``a violation occurs''.
       On page 18, beginning in line 17, strike ``such additional 
     amount as the court finds appropriate,'' and insert ``an 
     additional amount which bears the same ratio to $100,000 as 
     the amount of the gross revenues in excess of $2,000,000 
     bears to $2,000,000,''.
       On page 18, line 19, strike ``and''.
       On page 18, between lines 19 and 20, insert the following:
       (3) striking in ``section 9'' in paragraph (3), as 
     redesignated, and inserting ``section 9(a)''; and
       On page 18, line 20, strike ``(3)'' and insert ``(4)''.
        On page 19, line 4, strike ``which the practice 
     involves;'' and insert ``that involves such practices;''.
       On page 19, line 15, strike the closing quotation marks and 
     the second period.
       On page 19, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:
       ``(e) Enforcement Against Federal Trade Commission, State 
     Attorneys General, Etc.--Nothing in this Act authorizes the 
     enforcement of--
       ``(1) any provision of this Act against the Federal Trade 
     Commission, the United States Attorney General, the chief 
     legal officer of any State for acting or failing to act in an 
     official capacity;
       ``(2) subsection (d) of this section against a State or 
     political subdivision of a State, or any agency or 
     instrumentality thereof; or
       ``(3) section 15 against a boxer acting in his capacity as 
     a boxer.''.
       On page 20, line 5, strike ``amended--'' and insert 
     ``amended by--''.
       On page 20, line 6, strike ``by''.
       On page 20, line 7, strike ``by''.
                                 ______
                                 

                        REID AMENDMENT NO. 1369

  Mr. SESSIONS (for Mr. Reid) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 
305, supra; as follows:

       On page 18, line 11, strike ``or 17'' and insert 17, or 
     18''.
       On page 20, after line 13, insert the following:

     SEC. 9. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTS BETWEEN BOXERS AND 
                   BROADCASTING COMPANIES.

       (a) In General.--The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 
     (15 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), as amended by section 6, is 
     amended--

[[Page S9416]]

       (1) by redesignating section 18, as redesignated by section 
     6 of this Act, as section 19; and
       (2) by inserting after section 17 the following:

     ``SEC. 18. CONTRACTS BETWEEN BOXERS AND BROADCASTING 
                   COMPANIES.

       ``(a) Contract Requirements.--Any contract between a boxer 
     and a broadcast for the broadcaster of a boxing match in 
     which that boxer is competing shall--
       ``(1) include mutual obligations between the parties; and
       ``(2) specify either--
       ``(A) the number of bouts to be broadcast; or
       ``(B) the duration of the contract.
       ``(b) Prohibitions.--A broadcaster may not--
       ``(1) require a boxer to employ a relative or associate of 
     the broadcaster in any capacity as a condition of entering 
     into a contract with the broadcaster;
       ``(2) have a direct or indirect financial interest in the 
     boxer's manager or management company; or
       ``(3) make a payment, or provide other consideration, 
     (other than of a de minimus amount or value) to a sanctioning 
     organization or any officer or employee of such an 
     organization in connection with any boxer with whom the 
     broadcaster has a contract, or against whom a boxer with whom 
     is broadcaster has a contract is competing.
       ``(c) Notification of Reduction in Agreed Amount.--If a 
     broadcaster has a contract with a boxer to broadcast a match 
     in which that boxer is competing, and the broadcaster reduces 
     the amount it agreed to pay the boxer under that contract 
     (whether unilaterally or by mutual agreement), the 
     broadcaster shall notify, in writing within 48 hours after 
     the reduction, the supervising State commission for that 
     match of the reduction.
       ``(d) Enforcement.--
       ``(1) contract.--A provision in a contract between a 
     broadcaster and a boxer that violates subsection (a) is 
     contrary to public policy and unenforceable at law.
       ``(2) Prohibitions; Notification.--For enforcement of 
     subsections (b) and (c), see section 10.''.
       (b) Broadcaster Defined.--Section 2 of the Professional 
     Boxing Safety Act of 1996 (15 U.S.C. 6301), as amended by 
     section 8 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end 
     thereof the following:
       ``(13) Broadcaster.--The term `broadcaster' means any 
     person who is a licensee as that term is defined in section 
     3(24) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
     153(24)).''.
                                 ______
                                 

                      MOYNIHAN AMENDMENT NO. 1370

  Mr. SESSIONS (for Mr. Moynihan) proposed an amendment to the bill, S. 
305, supra; as follows:

       On page 20, after line 13, add the following:
       (d) Standardized Physical Examinations.--Section 5(1) of 
     the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 (15 U.S.C. 
     6304(1)) is amended by inserting after ``examination'' the 
     following: ``, based on guidelines endorsed by the American 
     Medical Association, including a circulo-respiratory check 
     and a neurological examination.''.
       (e) CAT Scans.--Section 6(b)(2) of the Professional Boxing 
     Safety Act of 1996 (15 U.S.C. 6305(b)(2)) is amended by 
     inserting before the period the following: ``and, with 
     respect to such renewal, present proof from a physician that 
     such boxer has taken a computerized axial tomography (CAT) 
     scan within the 30-day period preceding that date on which 
     the renewal application is submitted and that no brain damage 
     from boxing has been detected''.

                          ____________________