This amendment updates the bill to include more types of people in combat sports rules, clarifies that doctors on the commission can vote, and fixes several text errors.
Colorado2026Enacted
HB26-1194
Renaming and Updating Colorado Combative Sports Rules
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 8:22 AM
In one sentence
This law renames the state's boxing safety act to include all combative sports, extends its existence until 2037, gives voting rights to physician members on the commission with specific medical training requirements, requires new safety data collection for rule-making, adds rules about responding to complaints, and sets limits on financial conflicts of interest.
What it does
- Changes the name from 'Colorado Professional Boxing Safety Act' to 'Colorado Combative Sports Safety Act'.
- Extends the life of the act, the office, and the commission for 11 years until 2037.
- Allows two physician members on the commission to vote and requires them to have experience or training in emergency, sports, or combative sports medicine.
- Requires the office director to gather safety data related to combative sports to provide to the commission.
- Directs the commission to consider this safety data when making rules and to identify which specific fighting styles are covered by the act through those rules.
- Allows officials to discipline license holders who do not reply to complaint letters within a specified time frame.
- Removes the requirement that warning letters sent to licensees must be mailed via certified mail.
- Prohibits promoters and matchmakers from having financial interests in managing athletes.
Who it affects
- The Colorado Combative Sports Commission
- Promoters, matchmakers, managers, and other licensed participants in combative sports events
- Athletes participating in regulated combative sports
- Physicians serving on the commission
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not list specific dates when new safety data must be collected.
- The text states that the commission will identify which fighting styles count as 'combative sports' through future rules, rather than listing them in this law.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Sunset review
- A process where a government agency checks if an existing law or office should continue to exist.
- Combative sports
- Sports that involve fighting, such as boxing and mixed martial arts, which will be specifically identified by the commission's rules.
- Commission member
- A person appointed to make rules and decisions for the state's combative sports office.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies in its 2025 sunset review and report. Section 1 of the act changes the name of the 'Colorado Professional Boxing Safety Act' to the 'Colorado Combative Sports Safety Act'. Sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, and 13 update terms that reference boxing to better align with the new title. Sections 2 and 3 continue the 'Colorado Combative Sports Safety Act' and the office of combative sports (office), including the Colorado combative sports commission (commission), for 11 years, until 2037. Section 6 grants the 2 physician members of the commission the power to vote with the other members and clarifies that the physician members must have experience or training in emergency, sports, or combative sports medicine. Section 9 directs the office director to gather safety data related to combative sports to provide to the commission. Section 7 directs the commission to consider the safety data collected by the office director during the commission's rule-making and requires the commission to identify, by rule, the combative sports to which the 'Colorado Combative Sports Safety Act' applies. Section 10 adds, to the combative sports statutes pertaining to grounds for discipline, that the director of the division of professions and occupations (division) may discipline a licensee or an applicant for a license for failing to respond to a letter from the division regarding a complaint against the licensee or applicant within the length of time for response specified in the letter. Section 10 also removes the requirement that a letter of admonition sent to a licensee or applicant be sent by certified mail. Section 11 prohibits a promoter or matchmaker from having a financial interest in the management of a combative sports participant (participant) and prohibits a manager from: Having a financial interest in the promotion of a participant; Being employed by a promoter or matchmaker; or Receiving compensation or other benefits from a promoter or matchmaker beyond the amount received as consideration pursuant to the manager's contract with the participant. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Official activity
Bill history
- Governor SignedGovernor
- Sent to the GovernorGovernor
- Signed by the President of the SenateSenate
- Signed by the Speaker of the HouseHouse
- House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - RepassHouse
- House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over DailyHouse
- Senate Third Reading Passed - No AmendmentsSenate
- Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - CommitteeSenate
- Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the WholeSenate
- Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to AppropriationsSenate
- Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human ServicesSenate
- House Third Reading Passed - No AmendmentsHouse
- House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - CommitteeHouse
- House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the WholeHouse
- House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to AppropriationsHouse
- Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human ServicesHouse
Changes
Amendments
2 stored
This amendment fixes small wording errors in the list of people and tasks covered by the new boxing safety rules.