BILL ANALYSIS �
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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 6/5/14)
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Pediatrics, California
Brain Injury Association of California
California Chiropractic Association
California Interscholastic Federation
California Psychological Association
California State PTA
Occupational Therapy Association of California
Safe Kids California
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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
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lasting more than 90 minutes. The bill would also completely
prohibit full-contact practice in the offseason. If an
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, Ch�vez,
Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Garcia, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hall, Roger Hern�ndez,
Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Melendez,
Mullin, Nazarian, Pan, Perea, John A. P�rez, 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 P�rez, Vacancy
PQ:k 6/5/14 Senate Floor Analyses
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SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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