BILL ANALYSIS
AB 100
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 22, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 100 (Price) - As Amended: March 26, 2009
SUBJECT : Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Program pilot
project.
SUMMARY : Extends the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Program;
and, specifies the program shall be implemented only to the
extent that funds are appropriated in the annual Budget Act for
this purpose. Specifically, this bill :
1)Changes the date by which the California Department of
Education (CDE), or its administering contracting entity,
shall request and review proposals submitted by entities
eligible for grants for the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety
Program from May 1, 2002 to May 1, 2010.
2)Changes the date by which CDE, or its administering
contracting entity, shall select a proposal for each of the
two regions for receipt of a Pupil Athletic Access and Safety
Program grant from June 1, 2002 to June 1, 2010.
3)Changes the date by which CDE, or its administering
contracting entity, shall fund the Pupil Athletic Access and
Safety Program grant from August 1, 2002 to August 1, 2010.
4)Changes the date by which CDE, or its administering
contracting entity, shall submit a report to the Legislature
on the evaluation of the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety
Program pilot projects, including the number of schools and
pupils assisted by or participating in the various components
of the project, and the extent to which the measurable
objectives listed in the proposal were met from January 1,
2005 to January 1, 2013.
5)Specifies this act shall be implemented only to the extent
that funds for these purposes are appropriated in the annual
Budget Act or other statute; and, specifies Legislative intent
that funding appropriated in the Budget Act for the Pupil
Athletic Access and Safety Program pilot project is a one-time
appropriation for this purpose.
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Program as a
competitive grant process for private, nonprofit organizations
administered by CDE.
2)Specifies no later than May 1, 2002, the department, or its
administering contracting entity, shall request and review
proposals submitted by entities eligible for grants.
3)Specifies by June 1, 2002, the department, or its
administering contracting entity, shall select a proposal for
each of the two regions for receipt of a grant. Specifies
that the selected proposal shall be selected on the basis of
its ability to provide the best, most feasible service to the
largest number of schools and pupils in the pilot area.
Requires proposals to include all of the following:
a) A description of the program goals.
b) A list of measurable objectives for the purpose of
evaluation by the department, or its administering
contracting entity.
c) A list of public secondary schools selected for
participation, and the criteria used for selection of those
schools.
d) A list of professional participants with curriculum
vitae and r?sum?s attached; and, specifies athletic
trainers who are proposed to participate in the program
shall be certified by the National Athletic Trainers
Association.
e) A method of ensuring medical quality for the program.
f) The method that will be used to gather and submit data
to the department, or its administering contracting entity.
g) A clear description of the experience, expertise, and
other qualifications of the private, nonprofit
organization.
h) A proposed budget for expenditure of the grant,
including a proposed fundraising plan to raise the
dollar-for-dollar match as required in this chapter.
4)Requires the department, or its administering contracting
entity, upon making a selection, to fund the grant no later
than August 1, 2002.
5)Specifies the department may expend up to 10% of the funds
appropriated for the costs associated with administration of
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the competitive grant process, medical quality assurance and
program oversight, data collection, and evaluation of the
pilot project; and, specifies no additional funds may be used
for administration, oversight, or implementation of this
program.
6)Authorizes the department to contract with a nonprofit
statewide organization that specializes in administration of
high school interscholastic athletic programs to function as
the department's administering agency for the program. If the
department enters into a contract, the funds provided for
administrative costs shall be expended, pursuant to the
contract, by the nonprofit organization in its administration
of this program on behalf of the department. The
administering contracting entity shall be responsible for all
aspects of the program, including the establishment of the
competitive grant process, the selection of grantees and
awarding of grants, program administration, monitoring, and
evaluation, and the report required.
7)Requires the department, or its administering contracting
entity, to monitor and evaluate the program to ensure the
performance and effectiveness of the program, including the
following:
a) Success in obtaining stated goals.
b) Success in the pupil mentoring and scholarship programs.
c) Reduction in injuries that occur during practice
sessions and during actual athletic competitions.
d) Reduction in recurring injury incidents.
8)Requires, for the purpose of evaluating the programs, the
department, or its administering contracting entity, to the
extent feasible, to compare available data relating to
injuries that occurred during practice sessions and official
competitions in the school year prior to the existence of the
pilot program, with comparable data collected in the second
year of the pilot program. If data regarding injuries has not
been collected prior to the establishment of the pilot
program, then data submitted by each grantee during the first
six months of the program shall be used as baseline data to
compare against data collected in the second year.
9)Requires, in order to be eligible to receive funds, a pilot
project to receive matching private funds equal to the public
funds received.
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10)Requires, by January 1, 2005, the department, or its
administering contracting entity, to submit a report to the
Legislature on the evaluation of the pilot projects, including
the number of schools and pupils assisted by or participating
in the various components of the project, and the extent to
which the measurable objectives listed in the proposal were
met.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Pilot Program
was established by the Legislature in 2001 and $500,000 was
initially appropriated in the annual Budget Act in 2001 for this
purpose. Subsequent budget action eliminated these funds and
according to the CDE, there is no record of the program being
established. The intent of the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety
Program was to bring certified athletic trainers into low income
schools as part of a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness
of these trainers on reducing student injuries, among other
things. This bill extends the grant process, evaluation, sunset
and repeal dates of the existing Pupil Athletic Access and
Safety Program and specifies that the program shall only become
effective upon appropriation of funding in the annual Budget Act
for this purpose.
According to the author, AB 100 addresses a continuing need
related to the health and safety of school athletes in
underserved communities of the state. With more and more
students participating in athletic events, and coaches and
teachers bearing increasing workloads, athletic injuries are
more likely to occur. It is imperative that California's
school system makes every effort to prevent student
athletic-related injuries, and should injuries occur, it is
essential that schools be in a position to address these
injuries immediately and appropriately. AB 100 provides
benefits to public high schools, as they realize value from
reduced liability through the prevention of injuries and
illnesses, while supporting risk management programs in schools.
Specifically:
1)Athletic trainers may be able to help schools reduce the
number of lawsuits resulting from athletic injuries. Such
lawsuits often result from the failure to adequately supervise
practices and related sporting activities; failure to give
proper instructions and warn of dangers; failure to offer
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reasonably safe facilities or equipment; and, failure to
provide adequate emergency response.
2)Absenteeism is reduced by keeping students in school for
rehabilitation. Student athletes would have injuries treated
immediately and will be able to stay at school for
rehabilitation without missing class time.
3)The parents benefit from the continuity of care from the time
of the injury onset to the student athlete's return to play,
with enhanced communication. Athletic trainers also assist
parents in educating student athletes about injury and illness
prevention, resulting in a reduction in health care cost to
families.
According to the National Federation of State High School
Associations, only 42% of high schools in the United States have
made athletic health care a priority by utilizing the services
of certified athletic trainers. A June 2008 study published in
the Journal of Athletic Training estimates more than 300,000
sports-related concussions occur each year in the U.S. - with
more than 60,000 cases occurring at the high school level.
Moreover, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, every year in the United States more than 3.5
million children age 14 or older receive medical treatment for
sports-related injuries. Of these young athletes, more than
750,000 are treated in emergency rooms, reports the American
College of Sports Medicine.
AB 100 is sponsored by The Team Helping Enrich Athletes Lives
(HEAL) Foundation, a non-profit organization that is committed
to bringing comprehensive injury prevention, medical care,
athletic training, healthcare awareness, mentoring and academic
support to high school student athletes in underserved
communities. Team HEAL was founded in 1994 and has worked with
over 20,000 student athletes. The program currently serves
2,500 high school student athletes in four otherwise underserved
high schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District.
These high schools include Banning, Carson, Crenshaw, and Manuel
Arts in the Los Angeles area.
According to the author, it is estimated that this bill could
result in a one-time expenditure of about $400,000 from the
State General Fund, although non-state funding sources will be
sought, including but not limited to private funds. Unknown
potential savings to local school districts and schools relating
to reduced litigation, and unknown potential savings to local
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public health systems due to immediate and proper treatment of
injuries and rehabilitation.
Other State Policies . In 1993, the state of Hawaii implemented
a pilot program for approximately $1.2 million that introduced
athletic trainers in high schools. In 1997, after the pilot
program was found to be successful at lowering student injuries,
the state passed a law mandating that each Hawaii public high
school have a certified athletic trainer, making Hawaii the only
state to have such a mandate.
Committee Amendment : Staff recommends the bill be amended to
change the evaluation date to November 1, 2012 and insert sunset
and repeal dates of July 1, 2014 and January 1, 2015,
respectively.
Related legislation . AB 533 (Hayashi) from 2009 requires high
school sports coaches to complete a coaching education program
that includes training in recognizing and managing the signs and
symptoms of potentially catastrophic injuries, including but not
limited to head and neck injuries, concussions, second impact
syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke, and cardiac arrest. The
bill passed the Assembly Education Committee with a vote of 8-1.
Previous legislation . AB 760 (Shelley), Chapter 553, Statutes
of 2001 authorized California Department of Education to
establish the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Pilot program.
AB 2903 (Shelley) from 2000 would have established the Pupil
Athletic Access and Safety Pilot program and provided grants to
eligible private, non-profit organizations to conduct pilot
athletic safety programs. The bill was vetoed by the Governor.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Chiropractic Association
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087