§ 1008. Licenses; judges. 1. Except as otherwise provided in sections one thousand six and one thousand seventeen of this article, only a person licensed by the commission, as a combative sports judge, may judge an authorized professional combative sport within the state. Judges for any authorized professional combative sport under the jurisdiction of the commission shall be selected by the commission from a list of qualified licensed judges maintained by the commission.

2. Any participant in a professional combative sport or his or her manager may protest the assignment of a judge to a contest and the participant or manager may be heard by the commission or its designee if such protest is timely. If the protest is untimely it shall be summarily rejected.

3. Each person seeking to be licensed as a judge by the commission shall be required to submit to or provide proof of an eye examination and annually thereafter on the anniversary of the issuance of the license. The commission shall establish continuing education programs and requirements to be completed by licensed judges. Each judge must be certified as having completed a training program as approved by the commission and shall pass an examination approved by the commission.

4. Each person seeking a license to judge authorized professional combative sports in the state shall be required to fill out a financial questionnaire certifying under penalty of perjury full disclosure of the judge's financial situation on a questionnaire to be promulgated by the commission. Such questionnaire shall be in a form and manner approved by the commission and shall provide information as to areas of actual or potential conflict of interest as well as appearances of such conflicts, including financial responsibility. Within forty-eight hours of any match, each judge of a professional combative sport shall file with the commission a financial disclosure statement in such form and manner as shall be acceptable to the commission.