FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HB 291 2012
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; providing an
12 effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to
17 subsection (2) of section 943.0438, Florida Statutes, to read:
18 943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning
19 authorities.—
20 (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall:
21 (e) Adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches,
22 officials, administrators, youth athletes, and their parents or
23 guardians of the nature and risk of concussion and head injury.
24 (f) Adopt bylaws or policies that require the parent or
25 guardian of a youth who is participating in athletic competition
26 or who is a candidate for an athletic team to sign and return an
27 informed consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion
28 and head injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
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FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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29 concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
30 athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout,
31 workout, or other physical activity associated with the youth’s
32 candidacy for an athletic team.
33 (g) Adopt bylaws or policies that require each youth
34 athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head
35 injury in a practice or competition to be immediately removed
36 from the activity. A youth athlete who has been removed from an
37 activity may not return to practice or competition until the
38 youth receives written medical clearance to return stating that
39 the youth athlete no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or
40 behaviors consistent with a concussion or other head injury.
41 Medical clearance must be authorized by the appropriate health
42 care professional trained in the diagnosis, evaluation, and
43 management of concussions as defined by the Sports Medicine
44 Advisory Committee of the Florida High School Athletic
45 Association.
46 Section 2. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to
47 subsection (2) of section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read:
48 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
49 (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS.—
50 (e) The organization shall adopt guidelines to educate
51 athletic coaches, officials, administrators, student athletes,
52 and their parents of the nature and risk of concussion and head
53 injury.
54 (f) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
55 require the parent of a student who is participating in
56 interscholastic athletic competition or who is a candidate for
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FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HB 291 2012
57 an interscholastic athletic team to sign and return an informed
58 consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion and head
59 injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
60 concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
61 interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any
62 practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated
63 with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic
64 team.
65 (g) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
66 require each student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
67 concussion or head injury in a practice or competition to be
68 immediately removed from the activity. A student athlete who has
69 been removed from an activity may not return to practice or
70 competition until the student receives written medical clearance
71 to return stating that the student athlete no longer exhibits
72 signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion or
73 other head injury. Medical clearance must be authorized by the
74 appropriate health care professional trained in the diagnosis,
75 evaluation, and management of concussions as defined by the
76 Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida High School
77 Athletic Association.
78 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
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