The sport of Mixed Martial Arts has been slowly yet effectively been approved throughout the United States. However, New York remains as one of the main states where the bill has not yet been passed. At the moment, there are several bills that are still being looked over and MMA is part of the long list. The first part of the 2009 session for passing bills is complete, but the Senate will look over some of the bills in the fall. Senate bill S2165A and assembly bill 2009-B, which seek to legalize MMA in New York remains within the committee.
The current UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner is optimistic on New York approval by the end of 2009. His predictions indicate that “there’s still a chance that it will be done this year.”
Here’s a snip from Ratner himself:
“Here’s my feeling as to what’s going to happen: Eventually, the Senate’s going to have to get back in session…Once the Senate’s back in session, they’re going to have to pass some bills. Then the Assembly’s going to have to come back before the end of the year or before the end of summer and they’re going to have to look at some of these bills. The session is, at this moment, over. But this is my prediction: they’re going to have to meet again…There’s going to be a lot of bills out there that only one house has passed…I think the assembly passed around 150 or 200 bills in the last couple of days before they adjourned. So if the Senate changes any of those, they’re going to have to come back, they’re going to have to have some compromises. So I feel there’s still a chance that it will be done this year. Maybe I’m being more optimistic than some, but that’s the way I feel…What’s happening is unprecedented in their political history…I feel very strongly that if the Senate hadn’t had what happened to it, with guys changing sides, that we might have a bill on the Governor’s desk already. But it did happen, and we’re going to go forward. I’m still cautiously optimistic that in the year 2009, it will be passed.”
