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92_SJ0004
LRB9201027LBgc
1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States, in its
3 passage of the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996,
4 directed the Secretary of Labor to commission a study on the
5 feasibility of the establishment of a pension plan for
6 professional boxers; and
7 WHEREAS, Congress, in its passage of the Muhammad Ali
8 Boxing Reform Act of 1999, provided statutory protection of
9 the contractual rights of professional boxers and prohibited
10 their exploitation in promotion and management arrangements;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, A study, commissioned by the Secretary of Labor,
13 was completed by the Segal Company in December 1997,
14 providing the necessary guidance for Congress to facilitate
15 the creation of a qualified pension plan for professional
16 boxing; and
17 WHEREAS, Professional boxing, which is structured on a
18 contractual basis, does not comport with current United
19 States pension laws, which are structured based on
20 employer-employee relationships; and
21 WHEREAS, The establishment of a pension plan for
22 professional boxers must be mandatory in order to be
23 effectuated, and should be funded through boxer contributions
24 from fight purses as well as ticket and broadcast revenues;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, The nature of professional boxing strongly
27 indicates that a pension plan for boxers is best established
28 on a federal level to ensure the greatest possible inclusion;
29 and
30 WHEREAS, The National Association of Attorneys General
31 has recommended that Congress establish a mandatory qualified
-2- LRB9201027LBgc
1 pension plan, including immediate steps to implement a
2 transitional plan for the neediest retired boxers; and
3 WHEREAS, A pension plan would greatly aid professional
4 boxers, many of whom end hard, demanding careers suffering
5 from pugilistic dementia, alcoholism, drug addition,
6 financial problems and homelessness, to retire with some
7 measure of dignity and a modicum of security; and
8 WHEREAS, Professional boxers are the least cohesive of
9 the professional athletes (team or individual sports) and are
10 not represented by labor unions, as exist in the
11 entertainment industry, and are not positioned to establish a
12 pension plan on their own; therefore, be it
13 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
14 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
15 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the members
16 of Congress, pursuant to its study commissioned under the
17 Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996, to develop a
18 framework for the establishment of a mandatory qualified
19 pension plan for professional boxing; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
21 delivered to the members of the Illinois Congressional
22 Delegation, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives,
23 the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the Secretary
24 of the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Executive Director
25 of the National Association of Attorneys General and to
26 former United States Lightweight Champion Johnny Lira as
27 representative of the retired boxers residing in the State of
28 Illinois.