Bi-partisan Kickboxing Bill Signed into Law Print
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Written by GBP Staff   
Thursday, 24 March 2016 11:34

kickboxing-maleMADISON - State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) announced today that legislation that would extend mixed martial arts regulations to the sport of kickboxing and other unarmed combat sports was signed into law by the Governor.

dave-hansen“Today we took another step forward in extending the protections we approved for those who compete in mixed martial arts to those who participate in kickboxing and other unarmed combat sports,” said Hansen who co-authored the law with Senator Rob Cowles and Representative Joel Kleefisch. The bill was introduced in response to the death of Dennis Munson Jr. who lost his life in his first kickboxing competition.

“This is an important step toward extending the lifesaving protections found in mixed martial arts law to competitors in kickboxing,” said Hansen. “It is unfortunate that Dennis Munson, Jr. is not alive to see these protections become law. I can’t help but feel that he would be proud of the advocacy of his family in helping to protect future competitors.”

Senate Bill 599 passed the State Senate on February 16th.

In 2009 we took a major step in protecting mixed martial arts fighters. Unfortunately, as we learned, Dennis Munson Jr. did not enjoy those protections when he lost his life in an unregulated kickboxing match. With the signing of SB-599 we are able to honor Dennis by extending those protections to all competitors in unarmed combat sports.

Senator Hansen also noted the work of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer John Diedrich who brought Dennis’s passing and the lack of protections in the sport to the attention of the Legislature.

“Journalists like John play an important role in our society by helping shed light on the human condition and how we can work together to improve the lives of the people we represent,” Hansen concluded.

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Legislative writer Jay Wadd contributed to this story.