BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 588
Author: Fox (D)
Amended: 9/3/13 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/12/13
AYES: Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Huff,
Monning, Torres
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 8/30/13
AYES: De León, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/16/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Concussions and head injuries: private and charter
schools
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill extends existing concussion policies to
private and charter schools, and annually requires the
concussion and head injury information sheet to be signed and
returned by the athlete's parent prior to participation in
athletic activity.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires school districts that elect
to offer athletics to:
1. Immediately remove from athletic activity for the remainder
of the day an athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
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concussion or head injury. The athlete must not be permitted
to return to the activity until he/she has been evaluated by
a licensed health care provider, and receives a written
clearance to return to the activity.
2. Annually require a concussion and head injury information
sheet to be signed by the athlete's parent prior to
participation in athletic activity.
Existing law requires each high school sports coach to complete
a coaching education program developed by the employing school
district or the California Interscholastic Federation that meets
specified guidelines.
Existing law requires high school athletic coaches to complete
training regarding the identification of concussions.
The California Interscholastic Federation's Bylaw 313 requires a
student-athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or
head injury in a practice or game to be removed from competition
at that time for the remainder of the day. A student-athlete
who has been removed from play is prohibited from returning to
play until the athlete is evaluated by a licensed health care
provider trained in education and management of concussions, and
receives written clearance to return to play from that health
care provider. A Question and Answer is listed below Bylaw 313,
indicating that the scope of practice for a "licensed health
care provider" will limit the evaluation to a medical doctor or
doctor of osteopathy.
This bill extends existing concussion policies to private and
charter schools. Specifically, this bill requires charter
schools and private schools that elect to offer an athletic
program to:
1. Immediately remove from athletic activity for the remainder
of the day an athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
concussion or head injury. The athlete must not be permitted
to return to the activity until he/she has been evaluated by
a licensed health care provider who is trained in the
management of concussions and acting within the scope of
his/her practice.
2. Prohibit the student athlete from returning to the athletic
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activity until he/she receives written clearance to return to
the activity from that licensed health care provider.
3. Annually require a concussion and head injury information
sheet to be signed and returned by the athlete's parent prior
to participation in athletic activity.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local:
No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Head injury requirements . Potentially significant workload
for charter schools and private schools.
Medi-Cal . Potentially significant ongoing state costs, to
the extent that affected students are enrolled in Medi-Cal.
SUPPORT : (Verified 9/3/13)
California Academy of Physician Assistants
California Federation of Teachers
California Optometric Association
Los Angeles County Office of Education
The Guidance Charter School
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "Currently,
public school student athletes and their parents must receive
and acknowledge written information regarding head injury each
year. Schools also must remove athletes from play if it is
suspected that a concussion may have occurred in a school sport
event. As of the commencement of the 2012 school year, half a
million students - eight percent of our state's children -
attend private schools and are unprotected by the common sense
rules that apply to public school students."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/16/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Garcia,
Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Roger Hernández, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue,
Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Mitchell, Mullin,
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Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Buchanan, Donnelly, Beth Gaines,
Grove, Holden, Melendez, Morrell, Stone, Vacancy
PQ:k 9/3/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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