BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 2127
          Author:   Cooley (D)
          Amended:  5/1/14 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  6-0, 6/4/14
          AYES:  Liu, Wyland, Block, Hancock, Huff, Monning
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Correa, Vacancy, Vacancy
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  50-22, 5/15/14 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Full-contact football practices

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill limits full-contact football practices and  
          requires a student-athlete who has suffered a concussion or head  
          injury to complete a graduated return-to-play protocol of at  
          least seven days, as specified.

           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 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 from  
            the health care provider to return to the activity.

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          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 (CIF) that  
          meets specified guidelines.  

          Existing law requires high school athletic coaches to complete  
          training regarding the identification of concussions.  

          This bill limits full-contact football practices and requires a  
          student-athlete who has suffered a concussion or head injury to  
          complete a graduated return-to-play protocol of at least seven  
          days.  Specifically, this bill:

          1.Requires a school district, charter school, or private school  
            that elects to offer an athletic program to comply with all of  
            the following:

             A.   Prohibit a high school or middle school football team  
               from conducting more than two full-contact practices per  
               week during the preseason and regular season.

             B.   Prohibit the full-contact portion of a practice from  
               exceeding 90 minutes in any single day.

             C.   Prohibit a high school or middle school football team  
               from holding a full-contact practice during the off-season.  
                

          1.Requires the student athlete, if a licensed health care  
            provider determines that the athlete sustained a concussion or  
            head injury, to complete a graduated return-to-play protocol  
            of at least seven days under the supervision of a licensed  
            health care provider.

          2.Defines:

             A.   "Full-contact practice" as a practice where drills or  
               live action is conducted that involves collisions at game  
               speed, where players execute tackles and other activity  
               that is typical of an actual tackle football game.

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             B.   "Off-season" as a period extending from the end of the  
               regular season until 30 days before the commencement of the  
               next regular season.  

             C.   "Preseason" as a period of 30 days before the beginning  
               of the regular season.

             D.   "Regular season" as the period from the first  
               interscholastic football game or scrimmage until the  
               completion of the final interscholastic football game of  
               that season.

          1.Provides that a team camp session is deemed to be a practice.

          2.Urges the CIF to develop and adopt rules to implement the  
            provisions of this bill, and to work in consultation with the  
            American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical  
            Society for Sports Medicine to develop and adopt rules and  
            protocols to implement a graduated return-to-play protocol.

          3.Provides that this bill does not prohibit the CIF, an  
            interscholastic athletic league, a school, a school district,  
            or any other appropriate entity from adopting and enforcing  
            rules intended to provide a higher standard of safety for  
            athletes than the standard established by this bill.

          4.States legislative findings and declarations relative to  
            student athletes and concussions.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No   Local:  
           No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/18/14)

          American Academy of Neurology
          American Academy of Pediatrics, California
          Brain Injury Association of California
          California Chiropractic Association
          California Interscholastic Federation
          California Physical Therapy Association
          California Psychological Association
          California State PTA
          Occupational Therapy Association of California

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          Safe Kids California

           OPPOSITION  :    (Verified  6/5/14)

          California Medical Association

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The Brain Injury Association of  
          California states:

            In an effort to reduce concussions and other brain injuries  
            among California adolescents, AB 2127 limits the amount of  
            full-contact practices middle school and high school football  
            teams may conduct during the preseason and regular season, and  
            completely prohibits full-contact practice during the  
            off-season.  This bill further provides that an athlete who  
            has sustained a head injury or concussion must complete a  
            supervised return-to-play protocol of no less than 7 days in  
            duration before returning to the athletic activity.

            Academic studies have shown that the cumulative effects of  
            sub-concussive blows to the brain experienced during football  
            may contribute to long-term brain damage and early-onset  
            dementia, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.   
            Experts contend that hits to the brain should be minimized as  
            much as possible.

            Since adolescents often suffer from post-concussive symptoms  
            longer than their older counterparts, it is recommended that  
            their recovery process proceed more conservatively.   
            Implementing supervised return-to-play standards will help  
            reduce the risk that young athletes who have suffered a brain  
            injury return to the field too soon.

          ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION  :    The California Medical Association  
          states:

            The intent of the bill is laudable; to better protect high  
            school athletes from brain injuries.  AB 2127 would prohibit  
            high school and middle school football teams of high schools,  
            charter schools, or private schools from conducting more than  
            2 full-contact practices per week during the preseason and  
            regular season and prohibit these full-contact practices from  
            lasting more than 90 minutes.  The bill would also completely  
            prohibit full-contact practice in the offseason.  If an  

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            athlete is suspected of having suffered a concussion, the bill  
            would require that a licensed health care provider acting  
            within the scope of their practice must clear the athlete  
            before they can return to play.

            We believe the language pertaining to which professionals are  
            allowed to perform the return to play assessment is overly  
            broad and would allow some licensed health care providers  
            without the proper training in concussions and neurology to  
            perform these assessments.  The Center for Disease Control  
            estimates that nearly 4 million high school students suffer  
            head injuries every year.  Difficulties in recognizing and  
            diagnosing these injuries leads to as many as 80% of these  
            head injuries going unrecognized and untreated.

            It is imperative that licensed physicians with the appropriate  
            education and training determine when a teenager has suffered  
            a head injury.  Currently, chiropractors and other  
            non-physicians are able to conduct these assessments under  
            current law.  This bill needs to clarify that only licensed  
            physicians are able to determine when and how a teenager who  
            suffered a brain injury is allowed to return to play.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  50-22, 5/15/14
          AYES:  Alejo, Ammiano, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta,  
            Bradford, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez,  
            Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox,  
            Garcia, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hall, Roger Hernández,  
            Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Melendez,  
            Mullin, Nazarian, Pan, Perea, John A. Pérez, Quirk, Rendon,  
            Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Weber, Wieckowski,  
            Williams, Yamada, Atkins
          NOES:  Achadjian, Allen, Bigelow, Conway, Donnelly, Beth Gaines,  
            Gatto, Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Jones, Linder, Logue,  
            Maienschein, Muratsuchi, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk-Silva,  
            Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Brown, Dahle, Frazier, Gorell, Mansoor,  
            Nestande, V. Manuel Pérez, Vacancy


          PQ:k  6/18/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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