Florida Senate - 2012                       CS for CS for SB 256
       
       
       
       By the Committees on Budget; and Budget Subcommittee on
       Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations; and Senator Flores
       
       
       
       576-04504-12                                           2012256c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to youth athletes; amending ss.
    3         943.0438 and 1006.20, F.S.; requiring an independent
    4         sanctioning authority for youth athletic teams and the
    5         Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt
    6         guidelines, bylaws, and policies relating to the
    7         nature and risk of concussion and head injury in youth
    8         athletes; requiring informed consent for participation
    9         in practice or competition; requiring removal from
   10         practice or competition under certain circumstances
   11         and written medical clearance to return; requiring the
   12         Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt
   13         bylaws for the establishment and duties of a sports
   14         medicine advisory committee; specifying membership;
   15         providing an effective date.
   16  
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to
   20  subsection (2) of section 943.0438, Florida Statutes, to read:
   21         943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning
   22  authorities.—
   23         (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall:
   24         (e) Adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches,
   25  officials, administrators, and youth athletes and their parents
   26  or guardians of the nature and risk of concussion and head
   27  injury.
   28         (f) Adopt bylaws or policies that require the parent or
   29  guardian of a youth who is participating in athletic competition
   30  or who is a candidate for an athletic team to sign and return an
   31  informed consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion
   32  and head injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
   33  concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
   34  athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout,
   35  workout, or other physical activity associated with the youth’s
   36  candidacy for an athletic team.
   37         (g) Adopt bylaws or policies that require each youth
   38  athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head
   39  injury in a practice or competition to be immediately removed
   40  from the activity. A youth athlete who has been removed from an
   41  activity may not return to practice or competition until the
   42  youth submits to the athletic coach a written medical clearance
   43  to return stating that the youth athlete no longer exhibits
   44  signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion or
   45  other head injury. Medical clearance must be authorized by the
   46  appropriate health care practitioner trained in the diagnosis,
   47  evaluation, and management of concussions as defined by the
   48  Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida High School
   49  Athletic Association.
   50         Section 2. Paragraphs (e), (f), (g), and (h) are added to
   51  subsection (2) of section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read:
   52         1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
   53         (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS, POLICIES, OR GUIDELINES.—
   54         (e) The organization shall adopt guidelines to educate
   55  athletic coaches, officials, administrators, and student
   56  athletes and their parents of the nature and risk of concussion
   57  and head injury.
   58         (f) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
   59  require the parent of a student who is participating in
   60  interscholastic athletic competition or who is a candidate for
   61  an interscholastic athletic team to sign and return an informed
   62  consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion and head
   63  injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
   64  concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
   65  interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any
   66  practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated
   67  with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic
   68  team.
   69         (g) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
   70  require each student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
   71  concussion or head injury in a practice or competition to be
   72  immediately removed from the activity. A student athlete who has
   73  been removed from an activity may not return to practice or
   74  competition until the student submits to the school a written
   75  medical clearance to return stating that the student athlete no
   76  longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a
   77  concussion or other head injury. Medical clearance must be
   78  authorized by the appropriate health care practitioner trained
   79  in the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of concussions as
   80  defined by the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida
   81  High School Athletic Association.
   82         (h) The organization shall adopt bylaws for the
   83  establishment and duties of a sports medicine advisory committee
   84  composed of the following members:
   85         1. Eight physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter
   86  459 with at least one member licensed under chapter 459.
   87         2. One chiropractor licensed under chapter 460.
   88         3. One podiatrist licensed under chapter 461.
   89         4. One dentist licensed under chapter 466.
   90         5. Three athletic trainers licensed under part XIII of
   91  chapter 468.
   92         6. One member who is a current or retired head coach of a
   93  high school in the state.
   94         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.