BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 7
AUTHOR: Huffman
AMENDED: April 7, 2010
FISCAL COMM: No HEARING DATE: May 5, 2010
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Interscholastic athletics: baseball bats.
KEY POLICY ISSUES :
Should non-wood bats be banned from high schools until July
2014?
Are non-wood bats more dangerous that wood bats?
Should other safety precautions be considered?
Should the moratorium be lifted in 2012 to coincide with the
implementation of new baseball bat performance standards?
SUMMARY:
This bill prohibits, until July 1, 2014, the use of non-wood
baseball bats during baseball games, practice or in physical
education classes at private and public high schools.
BACKGROUND
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is a
voluntary organization of school principals, school board
members, school superintendents and school athletics
directors. There are 10 CIF Sections (regional governance
structure). The CIF operates under statewide bylaws, and
school districts and local CIF Sections develop their own
Section bylaws that are under the umbrella of the state
bylaws. (Education Code 33353)
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conduct
tests to measure the performance of baseball bats. Baseball
bats that meet NCAA performance standards are allowed for use
in high schools in California. The CIF does not conduct
their own performance tests purportedly due to a lack of
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funding.
ANALYSIS
This bill imposes a moratorium on non-wood baseball bats at
private and public high schools until July 1, 2014.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Prohibits a non-wood baseball bat from being used at a
private or public high school competitive baseball game
or practice.
2) Prohibits a non-wood baseball bat from being used during
a physical education class or activity conducted at a
private or public high school.
3) Sunsets this prohibition on July 1, 2014.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill : According to the author, "on March
11, 2010, a 16-year old Marin Catholic High School
pitcher was struck in the head by a baseball hit with an
aluminum bat. Witnesses and baseball experts estimate
that the ball was traveling in excess of 100 mph,
leaving the pitcher with virtually no time to react.
This tragedy is the latest in a growing number of
incidents involving injuries to pitchers from
performance-enhancing metal bats."
2) What about other safety measures ? This bill does not
consider safety in any context other than what type of
bat is used. However, there are other safety measures
that may warrant consideration, such as requiring the
pitcher to wear a helmet or face mask, or moving the
pitching mound further from home plate. Wood bats can
break more easily than non-wood bats - do broken bats
pose a significant danger to pupils? Does this bill
sufficiently address the issue of pupil safety?
3) Non-wood vs. wood bats . Non-wood bats may be made using
aluminum, a blend of metals (alloy) or composites (blend
of metals, graphite, fibers, resin). Research has
generally shown that non-wood bats are lighter which can
result in a faster swing, have a trampoline effect, a
wider "sweet spot," and don't break as easily as wood
bats. After continued use, the fibers and resins in
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some composite bats can loosen up to provide a larger
trampoline effect. A bigger "sweet spot" generally
means the swing of the bat does not have to be as
precise. High-quality composite bats can cost about
$300. Wood bats are typically made using maple or ash,
and can cost about $60. While there is little dispute
that the ball can come off a non-wood bat faster than
off of a wood bat, research is less clear that the
difference creates a more unsafe situation for the
pitcher.
4) New NCAA standards for 2011 . In 2008, the NCAA
announced the replacement of the Ball Exit Speed Ratio
(BESR) with the Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution
(BBCOR) as the means for measuring bat performance.
Beginning January 1, 2011, the NCAA will only allow bats
certified to the BBCOR performance standards (which also
includes the Accelerated Break-In procedure). It is
expected that fewer non-wood bats will meet the higher
BBCOR standards than meet the BESR standards. The goal
of performance testing is to ensure that similarly-sized
wood and non-wood bats produce essentially the same
batted-ball speeds. In the meantime, the NCAA has
imposed a moratorium on composite bats for the 2010
baseball season.
5) New NCAA standards will apply to high schools in 2012 .
In 2009, the National Federation of State High School
Associations adopted a rule change that will require all
baseball bats used by high school baseball teams to meet
the BBCOR performance standard beginning in January 1,
2012. The CIF typically follows rules for baseball
adopted by the National Federation of State High School
Associations, and as such, bats used in high school
baseball in California will be required to meet BBCOR
performance standards beginning January 1, 2012.
6) Why not lift the moratorium in 2012 ? This bill sunsets
the prohibition on non-wood bats on July 1, 2014.
However, baseball bats used in high school competition
must meet the BBCOR standards beginning January 1, 2012.
Should this bill become law as currently drafted, high
school baseball teams in other states would be allowed
to use approved non-wood bats while California high
schools would be allowed to use only wood bats until
January 1, 2014. According to the author's office,
keeping this moratorium in place until 2014 will allow
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observation of two seasons of baseball under the BBCOR
standards to ensure that these standards are sufficient
to protect athletes. Is it reasonable to keep this
moratorium in place for two years beyond the
implementation of new bat performance standards? Should
the moratorium be scheduled to end in 2012 and if it is
determined that the BBCOR standards are insufficient a
subsequent bill could be introduced to extend the
moratorium?
7) What about softball bats ? Softball bats are regulated
by the Amateur Softball Association, which began
considering the break-in period with the 2009 bat
models. Performance standards for softball bats assume
slower speeds of pitched balls and bat swings.
8) Fiscal impact . While Legislative Counsel did not flag
this bill as being fiscal, a moratorium on non-wood bats
would mean that schools would need to replace their
non-wood bats with wood bats. Additionally, because
wood bats can break more easily than non-wood bats,
schools may need to purchase replacement bats.
According to news reports, wood bats have been donated
to the Marin County Athletic League by at least one bat
manufacturer, the Giants, A's and other clubs. It is
unlikely that all schools will have their bats replaced
through donations. Can schools afford to purchase a
supply of wood bats? Are there enough wood bats
available on the market to sufficiently supply high
schools throughout California?
9) Local action regarding non-wood bats . The Marin County
Athletic League and the Bay Counties League have imposed
a moratorium on non-wood bats for the remainder of the
current baseball season. The North Coast Section (of
CIF) recently opted not to impose a moratorium on
non-wood bats for the playoffs because the entire
regular season was played using non-wood bats, and
apparently did not feel the safety of pupils was at a
significantly greater risk by using non-wood bats.
However, some expect the North Coast Section to revisit
this issue before the beginning of the next regular
season. As these local moratoriums indicate, state law
does not preclude individual
teams, leagues or sections from imposing moratoriums or
bans on non-wood bats.
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10) Action in other states . Several news reports indicate
that North Dakota has prohibited the use of non-wood
bats in high schools, although the CIF conveyed to staff
that this prohibition was actually adopted in South
Dakota. Regardless, there appears to be precedent for a
statewide prohibition on the use of non-wood baseball
bats in high schools.
SUPPORT
American Nurses Association of California
OPPOSITION
None received.