Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Speaker Heastie Knows MMA Fight Will Continue - But When?

NEW YORK


Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie may have let the MMA bill die in the waning days of the 2015 legislative session, but the fight for sanctioned combative sports in New York will continue - a fact that he publicly acknowledged this week. While talking with the press during his tour of the upstate region, Speaker Heastie said, “I think it’s very close to having the support in the Assembly, but I think it will be a big topic once we get back to Albany."

Given how contentious the issue has been over the years, and how hot the discussion on it was this year, that is stating the obvious. However, what's not so obvious is the "when" of the whole equation. Since the MMA bill had finally received the necessary Democratic conference votes needed to pass, and those votes will likely be there when the 2016 session begins in January, there is nothing preventing the much-needed piece of legislation from seeing action right at the outset. All the heavy lifting is already done.


Remember: What pushed the MMA bill to the backburner were other, far more pressing issues that dealt with education, rent stabilization and taxes, which, as issues go, do actually outshine the cool glisten of cagefighting. But there is literally no reason the bill can't get ushered through the committees and put to a floor vote before the March budget crunch.

Let's hope Speaker Heastie allows that to happen.

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