Youth sports concussion management.

WORKING DRAFT
2012
STATE OF
WYOMING
12LSO-0260

SENATE FILE
NO.
SF0050

Youth sports concussion management.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Nutting

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to public health and safety; providing for training of coaches and trainers of nonscholastic youth sports activities; providing for education of youth sports participants, parents and guardians regarding head injury and concussion resulting from athletic activities; granting rulemaking authority; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 35
‑
30
‑
101 through 35
‑
30
‑
103 are created to read:

ARTICLE 30
YOUTH SPORTS ATHLETICS SAFETY

35
‑
30
‑
101
.

Youth sports
athletics safety; short title.

This article shall be known and may be cited as the
"
Youth Sports
Athletics Safety Act.
"

35
‑
30
‑
102
.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in th
is
article:

(i)

"
Athletic coach or trainer
"
means any paid or volunteer individual whose responsibilities include coaching, athletic training or advising an athletic team or club outside school athletic events;

(ii)

"
Athletic event
or activity
"
means any organized youth sports
event or
activity sponsored or
organized
by a local government or a for-profit or nonprofit nongovernmental organization.
"
Athletic event
or activity
"
does not include school athletic events
;

(iii)

"
Head injury
"
means a trauma that leads to an injury to the scalp, skull or brain;

(iv)

"
School athletic event
"
means
athletic activities sanctioned by the
Wyoming
high school activities
association and school sponsored athletic activities in
middle or junior
high school which directly correspond to those high school activities sanctioned by the
Wyoming
high school activities association
;

(v)

"
Youth athlete
"

means
an individual who is:

(A)

Eighteen (18) years of age or younger; and

(B)

An active participant in an organized athletic event
or activity
.

35
‑
30
‑
103
.

Safety of
youth
athletes; prohibition on participation; training; rules; consent to participate.

(a)

An athletic coach or trainer shall not allow a
youth
athlete to participate in a
n
athletic event on the same day that the
youth
athlete meets one (1) or both of the following criteria:

(i)

Exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion or other head injury after a coach or trainer, a
parent or guardian
or a
youth
athlete
reports, observes or suspects that the
youth
athlete exhibiting these signs, symptoms or behaviors has sustained a concussion or other head injury; or

(ii)

Has been diagnosed with a concussion or other head injury.

(b)

An athletic coach or trainer may allow a
youth
athlete who has been prohibited from participating in a
n
athletic event pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to participate in a
n
athletic event no sooner than the day after the
youth
athlete has received a blow to the head and only after the
youth
athlete:

(i)

No longer exhibits any sign, symptom or behavior consistent with a concussion or other head injury; and

(ii)

Receives a medical release from a licensed health care professional.

(c)

Each
organization sponsoring or conducting an athletic event or activity
shall ensure that each athletic coach or trainer participating in athletic
events or
activities receives training provided pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.

(d)

The
department of health
shall promulgate rules to establish:

(i)

Protocols and content consistent with current medical knowledge and the guidelines of a nationally recognized high school athletics organization such as the national federation of high school associations for training each athletic coach or trainer participating in athletic events to:

(A)

Understand the nature and risk of concussion and other head injuries associated with athletic activity; and

(B)

Recognize signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion or other head injury when a coach or trainer suspects or observes that a
youth
athlete has received a blow to the head or body.

(ii)

The nature and content of concussion and other head injury information forms and educational
materials for, and the means of providing these forms and materials to, athletic coaches or trainers,
youth
athletes and
youth
athletes
'
parents or guardians regarding the nature and risk of concussion and other head injuries resulting from athletic activity, including the risk of continuing or returning to athletic activity after a concussion or other head injury
;

(iii)

Methods for verification of coach's training.

(e)

Before January 1
of each
year, an entity sponsoring or organizing an athletic event or activity
shall provide a concussion and other head injury information form created pursuant to subsection (d) of this section to a
youth
athlete and the
youth
athlete
'
s parent or guardian. The
entity
shall receive signatures on the concussion and other head injury information form from the
youth
athlete
'
s parent or guardian before permitting the
youth
athlete to begin or continue participating in athletic events for that
calendar
year.

Section 2.

Th
is act is effective July 1, 2012
.

(END)

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SF0050