HB391: HB391 Professions and businesses; certain boxing, wrestling, and martial art associations and federations; change certain provisions

Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 4B) regulates boxing, wrestling, and martial arts matches, but exempts amateur contests governed by certain recognized organizations, such as USA Boxing, the Georgia High School Athletic Association, and USA Wrestling. Currently the list of recognized organizations also includes several kickboxing and karate groups, including the North American Sport Karate Association, the International Sport Kick Boxing/Karate Association, the World Kick Boxing Association, the United States Kick Boxing Association, the International Sport Combat Federation, and the International Kick Boxing Federation. This bill removes those six organizations from both the definition of 'amateur' in O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-1 and the list of organizations whose matches are exempt from state regulation in O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-2. It keeps the Professional Karate Commission and local affiliates of the remaining listed organizations on the exempt list. The bill does not include a special effective date, so it would take effect under Georgia's standard rules once signed.

• Removes six kickboxing and karate organizations, including the North American Sport Karate Association and the International Kick Boxing Federation, from the legal definition of an 'amateur' fighter in O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-1.
• Removes the same six organizations from the list of groups whose amateur matches are exempt from state combat sports regulation under O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-2.
• Keeps the Professional Karate Commission and its local affiliates on the list of organizations whose amateur matches remain exempt from regulation.
• Narrows which sanctioning bodies can classify a kickboxing, karate, or martial arts contestant as an unpaid amateur under Georgia law.

Amateur kickboxers, karate practitioners, and mixed martial artists in Georgia; event promoters and gyms that host matches under the affected organizations; and the state agency that regulates boxing, wrestling, and martial arts matches under Title 43, Chapter 4B.

Matches sanctioned by the six removed organizations would no longer automatically qualify for the amateur exemption, meaning those events could become subject to Georgia's combat sports licensing and oversight requirements that currently apply to professional or non-exempt contests.

• Section 1 rewrites the definition of 'amateur' in O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-1, dropping five organizations (paragraphs I through M) from the list of bodies that can govern an exempt amateur match.
• Section 1 also removes the International Kick Boxing Federation (former paragraph O) from that same definition while keeping the Professional Karate Commission and local affiliates.
• Section 2 makes the identical changes to O.C.G.A. § 43-4B-2, which lists the organizations whose amateur matches are exempt from the chapter's regulatory requirements.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
3. 2025-02-13House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-12House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-11House Hopper (House)

• Brent Cox (R, HD-028)Primary sponsor
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)

• combat sports regulation
• martial arts
• kickboxing
• amateur athletics
• professional licensing