(New York Governor David Paterson. You’d think a guy who lost his eye in unregulated vale tudo matches in the late ’80s would have more sympathy to our cause.)
I doubt many of you follow New York politics, but it’s a freakin’ mess out here right now. Virtually nothing constructive has gotten done in the NY senate over the last two weeks, and as an emergency session comes to a close today — ending the legislative body’s 2009 schedule — one bill that will be left out in the cold is our beloved S2165A, intended to regulate mixed martial arts in New York State. Originally, the bill was on the docket for a June 9th vote. Unfortunately, things fell apart on June 8th. MMA Weekly has the story:
Sarah Crean, a staffer with Cultural Affairs chair Sen. Jose M. Serrano, said the current legislative environment made the prospect of the MMA bill’s passage grim.
“Given what’s going on, probably all they’re going to be looking at is financing and very urgent bills,” said Crean. “What looks like is going to happen (to the MMA bill) is it’s going to have to go through the process again in our committee next year when session starts again.”
The next legislative session begins in January 2010.
Wait, it gets worse:
The bill will now have to go back through the process in 2010, and even if it does pass next year, the soonest the UFC, or any other promotion, would be able to hold an event in New York would be late in the year or early 2011.
“Essentially, we just ran out of time,” said a representative from the office of Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who sponsored the bill in the House.
The bill will now go back to the Tourism, Arts, and Sports Committee in January 2010.
“If a bill passes on the floor, it would just go back onto the floor calendar next year,” continued the representative. “But since this bill didn’t make it to the floor yet, it has to automatically go back to the committee of origin, which really kind of stinks.”
Kind of stinks? That’s like saying falling balls-first on a cactus "kind of hurts." After all the in-your-face’ing we did on Bob Reilly, this is infuriating. I guess we’ll revisit this in January, then. Fucking politicians. Is a six-month vacation really necessary?
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@ Fedor vs. Bas – At least for UFC 100 you won’t have to drive to “dirty jersey”; huge viewing party at Radio City Music Hall. Q & A with Frankie Edgar and Matt Hamill. Mass venting on the incompetence of the NY Senate!!