Back to Iowa

SF50 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REICHMAN
Last action
2025-01-22
Official status
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-01-22 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  2. 2025-01-21 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 01/22/2025 3:00PM Senate Lounge.

  3. 2025-01-16 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Reichman, Quirmbach, and Webster. S.J. 107 .

  4. 2025-01-15 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Judiciary. S.J. 89 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to civil liability of sports officials, providing criminal penalties for assault of sports officials, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

50

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

50

BY

REICHMAN

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

civil

liability

of

sports

officials,

1

providing

criminal

penalties

for

assault

of

sports

2

officials,

and

including

effective

date

and

applicability

3

provisions.

4

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

5

TLSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

S.F.

50

Section

1.

NEW

SECTION

.

671B.1

Definition.

1

“Sports

official”

means

the

same

as

defined

in

section

2

708.3A.

3

Sec.

2.

NEW

SECTION

.

671B.2

Sports

officials

——

limitation

4

of

liability.

5

A

sports

official

who

officiates

an

athletic

contest

at

any

6

level

of

competition

in

this

state

shall

not

be

liable

to

any

7

person

in

any

civil

action

for

injuries

or

damages

claimed

to

8

have

arisen

due

to

actions

or

inactions

within

the

confines

of

9

the

athletic

facility

at

which

the

athletic

contest

is

played

10

related

in

any

manner

to

the

sports

official’s

officiating

11

duties.

12

Sec.

3.

NEW

SECTION

.

671B.3

Sports

officials

——

liability

13

protection

not

applicable.

14

This

chapter

does

not

apply

to

a

sports

official

who

causes

15

injury

or

damage

to

a

person

by

actions

or

inactions

that

are

16

intentional,

malicious,

or

grossly

negligent.

17

Sec.

4.

Section

708.3A,

subsections

1,

2,

3,

and

4,

Code

18

2025,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

19

1.

A

person

who

commits

an

assault,

as

defined

in

section

20

708.1

,

against

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

correctional

staff,

21

member

or

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

health

care

22

provider,

employee

of

the

department

of

health

and

human

23

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

revenue,

national

24

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

25

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

26

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

fighter,

whether

paid

27

or

volunteer,

with

the

knowledge

that

the

person

against

28

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

29

correctional

staff,

member

or

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

30

health

care

provider,

employee

of

the

department

of

health

and

31

human

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

revenue,

national

32

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

33

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

34

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

fighter

,

or

sports

35

-1-

LSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

1/

5

S.F.

50

official,

and

with

the

intent

to

inflict

a

serious

injury

1

upon

the

peace

officer,

jailer,

correctional

staff,

member

or

2

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

health

care

provider,

employee

3

of

the

department

of

health

and

human

services,

employee

of

4

the

department

of

revenue,

national

guard

member

engaged

in

5

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

duty,

civilian

employee

6

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

employee

of

a

fire

7

department,

or

fire

fighter,

or

sports

official,

is

guilty

of

a

8

class

“D”

felony.

9

2.

A

person

who

commits

an

assault,

as

defined

in

section

10

708.1

,

against

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

correctional

staff,

11

member

or

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

health

care

12

provider,

employee

of

the

department

of

health

and

human

13

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

revenue,

national

14

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

15

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

16

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

fighter,

or

sports

17

official,

whether

paid

or

volunteer,

who

knows

that

the

person

18

against

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

peace

officer,

19

jailer,

correctional

staff,

member

or

employee

of

the

board

20

of

parole,

health

care

provider,

employee

of

the

department

21

of

health

and

human

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

22

revenue,

national

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

23

or

state

active

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

24

agency,

civilian

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

25

fighter

,

or

sports

official,

and

who

uses

or

displays

a

26

dangerous

weapon

in

connection

with

the

assault,

is

guilty

of

a

27

class

“D”

felony.

28

3.

A

person

who

commits

an

assault,

as

defined

in

section

29

708.1

,

against

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

correctional

staff,

30

member

or

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

health

care

31

provider,

employee

of

the

department

of

health

and

human

32

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

revenue,

national

33

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

34

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

35

-2-

LSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

2/

5

S.F.

50

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

fighter,

or

sports

1

official,

whether

paid

or

volunteer,

who

knows

that

the

person

2

against

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

peace

officer,

3

jailer,

correctional

staff,

member

or

employee

of

the

board

4

of

parole,

health

care

provider,

employee

of

the

department

5

of

health

and

human

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

6

revenue,

national

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

7

or

state

active

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

8

agency,

civilian

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

9

fighter,

or

sports

official,

and

who

causes

bodily

injury

or

10

mental

illness,

is

guilty

of

an

aggravated

misdemeanor.

11

4.

Any

other

assault,

as

defined

in

section

708.1

,

committed

12

against

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

correctional

staff,

member

or

13

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

health

care

provider,

employee

14

of

the

department

of

health

and

human

services,

employee

of

15

the

department

of

revenue,

national

guard

member

engaged

in

16

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

duty,

civilian

employee

17

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

employee

of

a

fire

18

department,

or

fire

fighter,

or

sports

official,

whether

paid

19

or

volunteer,

by

a

person

who

knows

that

the

person

against

20

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

peace

officer,

jailer,

21

correctional

staff,

member

or

employee

of

the

board

of

parole,

22

health

care

provider,

employee

of

the

department

of

health

and

23

human

services,

employee

of

the

department

of

revenue,

national

24

guard

member

engaged

in

national

guard

duty

or

state

active

25

duty,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

civilian

26

employee

of

a

fire

department,

or

fire

fighter,

or

sports

27

official,

is

a

serious

misdemeanor.

28

Sec.

5.

Section

708.3A,

subsection

5,

Code

2025,

is

amended

29

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

30

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

0h.

“Sports

official”

means

an

individual

31

who

serves

as

a

referee,

umpire,

or

linesman,

or

in

a

similar

32

capacity,

at

any

athletic

contest,

and

who

is

a

member

of

33

or

registered

with

a

local,

state,

regional,

or

national

34

organization

that

is

engaged,

in

part,

in

providing

education

35

-3-

LSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

3/

5

S.F.

50

and

training

to

referees,

umpires,

linesman,

or

persons

in

1

similar

capacities.

2

Sec.

6.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

This

Act,

being

deemed

of

immediate

3

importance,

takes

effect

upon

enactment.

4

Sec.

7.

APPLICABILITY.

The

following

apply

to

legal

actions

5

commenced

on

or

after

the

effective

date

of

this

Act,

including

6

legal

actions

that

allege

actions

or

inactions

of

a

sports

7

official

that

occurred

prior

to

the

effective

date

of

this

Act:

8

1.

The

section

of

this

Act

enacting

section

671B.1.

9

2.

The

section

of

this

Act

enacting

section

671B.2.

10

3.

The

section

of

this

Act

enacting

section

671B.3.

11

EXPLANATION

12

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

13

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

14

This

bill

provides

that

a

sports

official

who

officiates

15

an

athletic

contest

at

any

level

of

competition

in

Iowa

shall

16

not

be

liable

to

any

person

in

any

civil

action

for

injuries

17

or

damages

claimed

to

have

arisen

due

to

actions

or

inactions

18

within

the

confines

of

the

athletic

facility

at

which

the

19

athletic

contest

is

played

related

in

any

manner

to

the

sports

20

official’s

officiating

duties.

This

provision

does

not

apply

21

to

a

sports

official

who

causes

injury

or

damage

to

a

person

22

by

actions

or

inactions

that

are

intentional,

malicious,

or

23

grossly

negligent.

The

bill

applies

to

legal

actions

commenced

24

on

or

after

the

effective

date

of

the

bill,

including

legal

25

actions

that

allege

actions

or

inactions

of

a

sports

official

26

that

occurred

prior

to

the

effective

date

of

the

bill.

27

The

bill

provides

that

a

person

who

commits

an

assault

28

against

a

sports

official,

with

the

knowledge

that

the

person

29

against

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

sports

official,

30

and

with

the

intent

to

commit

a

serious

injury,

is

guilty

of

a

31

class

“D”

felony.

The

bill

provides

that

a

person

who

commits

32

an

assault

against

a

sports

official,

who

knows

that

the

person

33

against

whom

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

sports

official,

and

34

who

uses

or

displays

a

dangerous

weapon

in

connection

with

the

35

-4-

LSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

4/

5

S.F.

50

assault,

is

guilty

of

a

class

“D”

felony.

The

bill

provides

1

that

a

person

who

commits

an

assault

against

a

sports

official,

2

who

knows

that

the

person

against

whom

the

assault

is

committed

3

is

a

sports

official,

and

who

causes

bodily

injury

or

mental

4

illness,

is

guilty

of

an

aggravated

misdemeanor.

The

bill

5

provides

that

any

other

assault

committed

against

a

sports

6

official

by

a

person

who

knows

that

the

person

against

whom

7

the

assault

is

committed

is

a

sports

official

is

a

serious

8

misdemeanor.

A

class

“D”

felony

is

punishable

by

confinement

9

for

no

more

than

five

years

and

a

fine

of

at

least

$1,025

but

10

not

more

than

$10,245.

An

aggravated

misdemeanor

is

punishable

11

by

confinement

for

no

more

than

two

years

and

a

fine

of

at

12

least

$855

but

not

more

than

$8,540.

A

serious

misdemeanor

is

13

punishable

by

confinement

for

no

more

than

one

year

and

a

fine

14

of

at

least

$430

but

not

more

than

$2,560.

15

The

bill

defines

“sports

official”

as

an

individual

who

16

serves

as

a

referee,

umpire,

or

linesman,

or

in

a

similar

17

capacity,

at

any

athletic

contest,

and

who

is

a

member

of

18

or

registered

with

a

local,

state,

regional,

or

national

19

organization

that

is

engaged,

in

part,

in

providing

education

20

and

training

to

sports

officials.

21

The

bill

takes

effect

upon

enactment.

22

-5-

LSB

1606XS

(1)

91

cm/jh

5/

5