by Publisher | Mar 10, 2012 | David's Blog, Updates
WE DID IT!!! After a year and a half of hard work and perseverance, the Youth Concussion Legislation unanimously passed through the Florida Senate and House of Representatives! All Florida youth athletes will now be better protected from concussions. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me through my concussions, my work as a concussion awareness advocate, and the legislative process. We could not have done it without you, and we are so happy and relieved! A special thank you to Senator Anitere Flores and Representative Ronald “Doc” Renuart for their sponsorship of the bill and the tremendous amount of effort they put forth in order to get it passed. Another special thank you to Kenneth Edmonds of the NFL, who represented the league’s support of the legislation throughout the legislative process.
by Publisher | Mar 2, 2012 | David's Blog, Updates
My trip to Tallahassee was a successful one. The press conference at which I spoke on behalf of the NFL’s effort to promote youth concussion awareness featured several important speakers: Senator Flores, Representative Renuart, former NFL star and current Vice President of The Miami Dolphins Nat Moore, NFL director of government relations and public policy Kenneth Edmonds, and FHSAA Senior Director of Athletics Gary Pigott Several reporters were there covering the press conference (see News Updates for the coverage), and I was personally interviewed after the press conference. I was recognized and applauded by both senators and representatives for my work on behalf of concussion prevention. More good news came today, as the Senate Budget Committee passed Senate Bill 256, sending the concussion legislation to the Senate Floor. We have reached the final step, and the result of it will be a tremendous victory for the youth of Florida.
by Publisher | Feb 27, 2012 | David's Blog
House Bill 291 was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives the week of February 20, a big step towards protecting the youth athletes of Florida. Senate Bill 256 hopefully will pass through the Budget Committee on Tuesday, February 28th. If so, it will move to the Senate Floor within the next week. I will be in speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Tallahassee together with the NFL about the dangers of concussions and the need to protect kids from them. I will also be meeting with Florida state legislators to promote the bill. I expect this trip to build momentum for the battle to come on the Senate Floor, one which I hope will result in a safer Florida for youth athletes.
by Publisher | Feb 15, 2012 | David's Blog
The youth concussion legislation that I have been supporting has been making progress through Florida legislative process. The bill has now passed through all of the Senate and House committees. I cannot express how strongly I want this essential legislation to be passed this year. We need to make sure that the youth athletes of Florida are better protected from concussions. As the devastating consequences of concussions continue to gain headlines, exemplified by the hundreds of former NFL players suing the league because of the struggles they endure due to brain injuries stemming from their playing days, it becomes increasingly obvious that we need to protect kids from these potential dangers. The goal of the legislation is to do just that, and I hope to provide news of its further success in the near future.
by Publisher | Dec 19, 2011 | David's Blog
On Wednesday, December 7, I went to Tallahassee to promote Senate Bill 256, the bill that calls for establishing guidelines to spread concussion education, awareness, and management. I met with several state senators, telling them my story and expressing to them why they should vote for the no-cost, essential legislation that will protect the youth athletes of Florida. I also spoke in front of the Senate Health Regulation Committee in support of the bill, and the bill passed the committee unanimously. My speech can be found in the Updates section. Senator Jones, who opposed the legislation last year and caused it to not pass, was on the committee. Though it turned to be against the procedure of the Committee, I was ready to respond to his criticisms of my speech. That a seventeen year old kid who had experienced concussions was eager to confront Senator Jones I believe shows that Senator Jones will be facing a fight from a group that is very committed to passing this legislation unamended so that the kids of our state will be better protected and will have their care in the correct hands. Hopefully it is a fight that we will win. As I did this spring, I learned a lot from my trip to Tallahassee. My dad always tells me that it is a major civics lesson every time I go up there, and I agree. My trip was successful in that the bill passed the committee and that it was very educational for me. Hopefully my future trips to Tallahassee will continue to yield positive results.
by Publisher | Nov 21, 2011 | David's Blog
I am following in the footsteps of my father by creating a blog. Though I will most likely not be able to replicate his linguistic prowess, I hope to provide useful, new, and insightful information as he does in his blog for Royal Caribbean.
Countywide Concussion Care has continued to make progress and to protect youth athletes. As the first athletic season of countywide ImPACT testing for Miami Dade public schools comes to a close, a new group of student-athletes who participate in Winter sports will be ImPACT tested, including those that participate in soccer, basketball, and wrestling.
The new concussion safety rules implemented by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) have been in effect since the beginning of the school year. Interestingly enough, I had the chance to witness the application of these rules first hand. In my varsity soccer game the other night, the opposing team’s goalie’s head crashed into a member of my team’s knee. The referees instantly blew the whistle to halt the game. The referees made sure he could get up, and the goalie went to the bench. The goalie was not allowed to return to the game in order to make sure no further impact occurred. Seeing rules that I had fought for being enacted in a game I was playing made me very proud and glad to see that the hard work I’ve been putting in to make youth athletics safer is paying off.
On the legislative front, progress is also being made. The new bill to protect youth athletes from concussions, which is very similar to last year’s bill, passed the First Committee of Reference – the Education K – 12 Committee – in the Florida Senate. My family and the bill’s sponsors (Senator Flores, Rep. Renuart) are still in the process of game planning for the upcoming legislative process and the opposition we know we will face from Senator Dennis Jones, who has submitted legislation that explicitly grants chiropractors the ability to make return to play decisions, a power which our bill reserves for medical doctors. Though the supporters of the bill, my family, and I know that many challenges lie ahead, we are confident that our essential and cost-free legislation will prevail in the end. We will continue to fight for the protection of Florida youth athletes.
Lastly, my family and I have been working with another family whose goal is to increase concussion awareness, education and prevention in Broward County. I hope to provide more information on this effort soon.
