[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by Johnnyweekends
Mark,
While I am for most anything that can help keep "excited" people in check, I question the need for sending unruly fans to jail simply because we (Umpire, referee, etc) say so. It's always been my understanding that there were already laws on the books dealing with assault and trespass, not to mention the option of forfeiting a contest, that the bill being considered is simply duplicating and needlessly expanding on avenues already available to deal with agitated spectators. As a person with many years of officiating experience(30 years baseball, 19 years hockey), I can't understand why our state legislature, which can't pass a state budget or fund our schools, is even considering this bill. It seems, while noble in it's efforts, to be a monumental waste of time which could be better spent on matters of a more important nature in our daily lives, which affect way more people than dealing with an unruly fan at a sporting event does.

Too late, dude. The Governor signed the bill on August 4th.