After at least 15 years of inaction when it comes to helping to protect referees and those who officiate sports events from assaults, lawmakers get another opportunity to make good on much-needed legislation this session.

This time, people who oversee sports and officiating say, the situation is acute enough that it demands the second degree assault designation, a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison, that Senate Bill 2549 seeks.

“That we even have to propose the necessity of such a bill highlights the growing problem of behavior toward officials,” said Chris Chun, executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. “In Hawaii, like many other states, we are losing officials at an alarming rate,” Chun said.

Thomas Yoshida, president of the Hawaii State Basketball Officials Association, said, “Every year we try to recruit officials, but quite often, they quit after a few years. Among the reasons are sportsmanship by fans, coaches and players.”

The result, Yoshida said, “is our officials are getting older and our numbers are dwindling. We’ve even had to turn back games because we don’t have enough officials to supply all the schools.”

State Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi, Pearl Harbor) said he was prompted to re-introduce a measure after talking to Chun and hearing from an official who said he was twice assaulted. “We should be protecting our officials and bringing down barriers for why folks won’t be officials. No one wants to go out there for such a small stipend and be assaulted by fans,” Wakai said.

The bill defines “sports event” as “any organized amateur or professional athletic contest in the state” and would cite anyone who “intentionally or knowingly causes bodily injury to any sports official in retaliation for or on account of the sports official’s performance of duty at a sport event.”

While 24 states have some form of assault legislation, civil statutes or supportive resolutions protecting and supporting sports officials, according to the National Association of Sports Officials, Hawaii is not among them.

“Despite increased recruiting efforts, nearly all new officials do not return due to excessive and harassing behavior directed at them,” Chun said. “Everyone should feel safe at sporting events, officials included. While a bill like this will not fix the shortage, it will show that Hawaii supports officials’ ability to perform their duties without the threat and/or repercussions of personal injury.”

Current laws designed to protect workers in their performance of several job categories, including educational workers and volunteers, carry class C designations.

“Officials play a vital role in basketball not only as persons who know the rules, but as educators of sportsmanship and fair play,” Yoshida said. “Each year, officials spend hours of training in the classroom and on the court to become better in our craft.”

After years of deferring action on bills that would attach stronger penalties for assaulting referees and sports officials without a let up in the problem, here is an opportunity to finally make a stand.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.