BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Senator Ed Hernandez, O.D., Chair
BILL NO: AB 2007
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|AUTHOR: |McCarty |
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|VERSION: |June 21, 2016 Amended |
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|HEARING DATE: |June 29, 2016 | | |
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|CONSULTANT: |Teri Boughton |
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SUBJECT : Youth athletics: youth sports organizations:
concussions or other head injuries
SUMMARY : Establishes requirements for youth sports organizations to
remove an athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or
other head injury until he or she is evaluated and cleared by a
licensed health care provider.
Existing law:
1)Requires, a school district, charter school, or private school
that elects to offer an athletic program, to comply with both
of the following.
a) Require an athlete who is suspected of
sustaining a concussion or head injury in an athletic
activity to be immediately removed from the athletic
activity for the remainder of the day, and not
permitted to return to the athletic activity until he
or she is evaluated by a licensed health care provider
who is trained in the management of concussions and is
acting within the scope of his or her practice.
Prohibit the athlete from returning to the athletic
activity until he or she receives written clearance to
return to the athletic activity from that licensed
health care provider.
b) Require, if the licensed health care provider
determines that the athlete sustained a concussion or
a head injury, the athlete to also complete a
graduated return-to-play protocol of no less than
seven days in duration under the supervision of a
licensed health care provider.
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 2 of ?
c) Urges the California Interscholastic
Federation is urged 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 b) above.
d) Require, on a yearly basis, a concussion and
head injury information sheet to be signed and
returned by the athlete and the athlete's parent or
guardian before the athlete initiates practice or
competition.
e) Exempts an athlete engaging in an athletic
activity during the regular schoolday or as part of a
physical education course, as specified.
This bill:
1)Requires a youth sports organization that elects to offer an
athletic program to comply with all of the following:
a) Require an athlete who is suspected of
sustaining a concussion or other head injury in an
athletic activity to be immediately removed from the
athletic activity for the remainder of the day, and
not permitted to return to any athletic activity until
he or she is evaluated by a licensed health care
provider;
b) Prohibit the athlete from returning to
athletic activity until he or she receives written
clearance to return to athletic activity from a
licensed health care provider;
c) Require, if the licensed health care provider
determines that the athlete sustained a concussion or
other head injury, the athlete to also complete a
graduated return-to-play protocol of no less than
seven days in duration under the supervision of a
licensed health care provider;
d) Require if an athlete who is 17 years of age
or younger has been removed from athletic activity due
to a suspected concussion, the youth sports
organization to notify a parent or guardian of that
athlete of the time and date of the injury, the
symptoms observed, and any treatment provided to that
athlete for the injury;
e) Require on a yearly basis, the youth sports
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 3 of ?
organization to give a concussion and head injury
information sheet to each athlete;
f) Require the information sheet to be signed and
returned by the athlete and, if the athlete is 17
years of age or younger, to also be signed by the
athlete's parent or guardian, before the athlete
initiates practice or competition;
g) Permit the information sheet to be sent and
returned through an electronic medium including, but
not necessarily limited to, fax or electronic mail;
h) Require each coach and administrator to be
required to successfully complete the concussion and
head injury education offered pursuant to i) below at
least once, either online or in person, before
supervising an athlete in an activity of the youth
sports organization;
i) Require on a yearly basis, the youth sports
organization to offer concussion and head injury
education, or related educational materials, or both,
to each coach and administrator of the youth sports
organization; and,
j) Require the youth sports organization to
identify both of the following:
i. An individual within the
organization who is responsible for ensuring
compliance by the organization with the
requirements for providing concussion and head
injury education contained in paragraph h) above;
and,
ii. Procedures to ensure compliance
with the athlete removal provisions and the
return-to-play protocol required pursuant to
paragraph a-c) above.
1)Establishes definitions including that a "youth sports
organization" means an organization, business, nonprofit
entity, or a local governmental agency that sponsors or
conducts amateur sports competitions, training, camps, or
clubs in which persons 17 years of age or younger participate
in any of the following sports:
a) Baseball;
b) Basketball;
c) Bicycle motocross;
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 4 of ?
d) Boxing;
e) Competitive cheerleading;
f) Full Contact Martial Arts;
g) Diving;
h) Equestrian activities;
i) Field hockey;
j) Football;
aa) Gymnastics;
bb) Ice hockey;
cc) Lacrosse;
dd) Parkour;
ee) Rodeo;
ff) Roller derby;
gg) Rugby;
hh) Skateboarding;
ii) Skiing;
jj) Soccer;
aaa) Softball;
bbb) Surfing;
ccc) Volleyball;
ddd) Water polo; and,
eee) Wrestling.
2)Defines "licensed health care provider" as a licensed health
care provider who is trained in the evaluation and management
of concussions and is acting within the scope of his or her
practice.
3)Requires this bill to apply to all persons participating in
the activities of a youth sports organization, irrespective of
their ages. Prohibits anything in this bill from being
construed to prohibit a youth sports organization, or any
other appropriate entity, from adopting and enforcing rules
intended to provide a higher standard of safety for athletes
than the standard established under this bill.
FISCAL
EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal.
PRIOR
VOTES :
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|Assembly Floor: |56 - 19 |
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AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 5 of ?
|Assembly Arts, Entertainment, | 5- 0 |
|Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media | |
|Committee: | |
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COMMENTS :
1)Author's statement. According to the author, sports related
injuries have become a growing concern in today's society.
Research shows that sports related injuries are not always
immediately visible or evident, but may manifest in the future
with extremely negative effects on the athlete's health.
Studies in the cumulative effects of concussion in young
athletes show that even a mild concussion can result in
serious long-term problems, especially if an athlete was
returned to play too early, or has a history of concussions or
other head injuries. The Legislature has already addressed
concussion protocol in school sports, but more kids play
sports in a community based setting, and with this legislation
I hope to establish a proper protocol for concussion
detections, treatment, and post-concussion management for
youth sports leagues.
2)CDC. The CDC has information including training videos and
fact sheets that are designed specifically for coaches, which
can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/coach.html The
following is from a CDC fact sheet.
Concussion, a type of traumatic brain injury, is caused by a
bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Concussions can also occur
from a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move
rapidly back and forth-literally causing the brain to bounce
around or twist within the skull. This sudden movement of the
brain causes stretching and tearing of brain cells, damaging
the cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.
Sometimes people wrongly believe that it shows strength and
courage to play injured. Some athletes may also try to hide
their symptoms. Do not let your athlete convince you that he
or she is "just fine" or that he or she can "tough it out."
Discourage others from pressuring injured athletes to play.
Emphasize to athletes and parents that playing with a
concussion is dangerous. Most athletes with a concussion will
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 6 of ?
recover quickly and fully. But for some athletes, signs and
symptoms of concussion can last for days, weeks, or longer. If
an athlete has a concussion, his or her brain needs time to
heal. A repeat concussion that occurs before the brain
recovers from the first-usually within a short time period
(hours, days, weeks)-can slow recovery or increase the chances
for long-term problems. In rare cases, repeat concussions can
result in brain swelling or permanent brain damage. It can
even be fatal.
3)Concussions and brain injuries in youth sports. One study
published in December 2015 in the Rhode Island Medical Journal
provided by the author, indicates that about 1.6-3.8 million
sports-related concussions occur every year. Symptoms may
appear mild but the injury can lead to life-long problems with
physical function, concentration, memory, behavior, and
emotional issues. Most concussions resolve within 7-10 days
but the recovery process can be longer and more complicated in
children and adolescents. Athletes with concussions are
vulnerable to the second-impact syndrome where ongoing
symptoms lead to another injury. Young athletes experience a
complex recovery process after concussions. Recurrent
concussions are especially destructive to the brain and are
more likely during the first ten days after a concussion. It
is recommended waiting at least seven days until return to
play. The article indicates that education does reduce
injuries. Among three groupings of coaches with none to
varying levels of education about concussions, concussions in
youth football players were lower in the group with the
highest level injury prevention education compared to the
non-educated cohort.
4)Prior legislation. AB 2127 (Cooley, Chapter 165, Statutes of
2014) 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.
AB 1451 (Hayashi, Chapter 173, Statutes of 2012), includes a
basic understanding of the signs and symptoms of concussions
and the appropriate response to concussions within the High
School Coaching Education and Training Program, administered
by school districts.
AB 1449 (Hayashi of 2012), would have required the
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 7 of ?
Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop and make
available a sample concussion and head injury information
sheet for use by school districts. AB 1449 was held in the
Assembly Education Committee.
AB 25 (Hayashi, Chapter 465, Statutes of 2011), requires a
school district that elects to offer athletic programs to
immediately remove an athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
concussion or head injury during that activity; prohibits the
return of the athlete to that activity until he or she is
evaluated by, and receives written clearance from, a licensed
health care provider; requires, on a yearly basis, a
concussion and head injury information sheet to be signed and
returned by the athlete and the athlete's parent or guardian
before the athlete's initiating practice or competition.
AB 1646 (Hayashi of 2010), would have required training for
coaches to be able to identify symptoms of head and neck
injury. AB 1646 was held in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee suspense file.
AB 1893 (Hayashi of 2010), would have required all high school
spirit activities coaches to have valid certification in CPR
and first aid, including an understanding of signs, symptoms,
and appropriate emergency action steps regarding potentially
catastrophic injury, including but not limited to, head and
neck injury and concussion. Pupils participating in this
activity who experience or show signs of trauma or other
injury must obtain a release from the treating provider before
resuming these activities. AB 1893 was held in the Assembly
Education Committee.
AB 533 (Hayashi of 2009), would have required training for
coaches to be able to identify symptoms of head and neck
injury. AB 533 was held in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee suspense file.
5)Support. The Brain Injury Association of California writes
that young athletes experiencing head injuries are at greater
risk of long-term brain damage if injured during the critical
stages of brain development. From 2002 to 2012 the number of
reported sports-related concussions among student athletes
doubled. The increase is attributed to many factors including
greater awareness and recognition of traumatic brain injuries.
However, research also shows that it is likely that
AB 2007 (McCarty) Page 8 of ?
self-reported concussion symptoms are under diagnosed, which
may lead to premature return to play. The California PTA
supports this bill because research shows even mild
concussions can have long-term negative consequences if not
treated properly. The California School Nurses Organization
believes extending the protections in this bill are necessary
for those engaged in not only K-12 sports activities but those
engaged in other organized sports activities.
6)Concern. CSAC Excess Insurance Authority (CSAC EIA) expresses
concern about this bill indicating that an onus will be placed
on youth sports organizations for recordkeeping and removal of
athletes from activities when suspected of having a
concussion. Youth sport organizations do not have the
resources to evaluate a youth athlete for concussion. Coaches
are volunteer parents from the community. CSAC EIA is
concerned people will not want to volunteer as coaches and the
bill would potentially create a basis for liability if a youth
sports organization does not distribute and/or obtain a
parent's signature on the information sheet.
SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION :
Support: California Athletic Trainers' Association (sponsor)
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
Brain Injury Association of California
California State PTA
California School Nurses Organization
Child Abuse Prevention Center
One individual
Oppose: None received
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