Lawmakers at the Ohio Statehouse are again looking at new legislation to toughen the penalties for assaulting officials at sporting events.

Officials are proposing stiffer penalties for attacking a referee or umpire.

The bill is similar to one from last May and would create a mandatory fine of $1,500 and 40-hours of community service for a first offense.

Charges would escalate from a misdemeanor to a felony if a weapon is used in the assault.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association says it has been seeing a marked decrease in the number of new referee hires due to concerns of verbal or physical abuse from spectators.