Anti-bullying bill filed in House to protect athletes

Rep. Jerry Nieves Rosario (Facebook via Jerry Nieves Representante Distrito 13)

By The Star Staff

District 13 (Manatí, Florida, Barceloneta and Arecibo) Rep. Jerry Nieves Rosario, who chairs the House Northern Region Committee, filed House Bill 815 on Thursday, “which seeks to amend Section 7 of Act 133-2024 to establish that any person responsible for harassment and bullying will incur civil liability and that any sports entity will be responsible for acts of harassment and bullying toward athletes in the sports environment if they knew or should have known of such conduct and did not take immediate and appropriate action to correct the situation.”

“It is of utmost importance to us to ensure the comprehensive protection of our athletes and, likewise, the prevention of misconduct in our sports entities,” the lawmaker said. “In our current context, in which the dignity and well-being of athletes must be the priority of all sports entities, it is essential to reiterate and strengthen our institutional commitment to eradicating harassment and bullying at all levels.”

“Based on our current legislation, as well as the ethical principles that govern coexistence and respect in sports, our goal is to establish individual and collective civil liability for those who engage in acts of harassment or bullying, as well as for sports entities that permit or fail to adequately prevent such conduct,” Nieves Rosario noted.

In civil matters, harassment and bullying constitute reprehensible conduct, which generates direct liability for those who perpetrate it.