SB2439sam001 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Laura M. Murphy

Filed: 3/3/2020

10100SB2439sam001 LRB101 15798 CPF 71154 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2439

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2439 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act is amended by changing Section 15 and adding Sections 25 and 30 as follows:

(410 ILCS 145/15)

Sec. 15. Concussion and head injury educational materials. Each youth sports league with players who participate in any youth-sponsored sports activity sponsored or sanctioned by the youth sports league shall is encouraged to make available, electronically or in writing, to coaches, game officials, and players, as well as the parents, guardians, and other persons with legal authority to make medical decisions, educational materials that describe the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries, including the advisability of removal of players that exhibit signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion, such as a loss of consciousness, a headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems, from participating in a youth-sponsored sports activity sponsored or sanctioned by the youth sports league.

These educational materials may include materials produced or distributed by the Illinois High School Association, those produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or other comparable materials. The intent of these materials is to assist in educating coaches, game officials, and players and parents, guardians, and other persons with legal authority to make medical decisions for players about the nature and risks of head injuries.

(Source: P.A. 99-245, eff. 8-3-15.)

(410 ILCS 145/25 new)

Sec. 25. Coach education. A coach shall annually receive first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and automated external defibrillator certification from a nationally recognized program.

(410 ILCS 145/30 new)

Sec. 30. Youth tackle football.

(a) In this Section:

"EMS personnel" has the same meaning as defined under Section 3.5 of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.

"Full-contact portion" means the period of time in drills or live action that involves contact at game speed.

"Full-contact practice" means a session where one or more drills or live action is conducted that involves contact at game speed, as in an actual tackle football game or scrimmage. "Full-contact practice" includes, but is not limited to, simulations or drills that involve any number of players.

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

"Preseason" means a period of 30 days before the commencement of the regular season.

"Regular season" means the period from the first league football game or scrimmage until the completion of the final football game of that season.

"Safety equipment" includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) A helmet and its associated parts, including, but not limited to, a face mask and mouth guard.

(2) Hip, knee, and shoulder pads.

(3) A jersey.

(4) A tailbone protector.

(5) Pants and thigh guards.

(6) Shoes, including, but not limited to, cleats.

"Youth tackle football team" means a youth tackle football team within a youth sports league.

(b) A youth sports league that conducts a tackle football program shall comply with all of the following requirements:

(1) A youth tackle football team shall not conduct more than 2 full-contact practices per week during the preseason and regular season.

(2) A youth tackle football team shall not hold a full-contact practice during the off-season.

(3) The full-contact portion of any practice shall not exceed 30 minutes in any single day.

(4) A coach shall annually receive a tackling and blocking certification from a nationally recognized program that emphasizes shoulder tackling, safe contact and blocking drills, and techniques designed to minimize the risk during contact by removing the involvement of a youth tackle football team player's head from all tackling and blocking techniques.

(5) A minimum of one EMS personnel must be present during all preseason, regular season, and off-season games.

(6) The coach and administrator of a youth tackle football team must successfully complete the education offered under paragraph (1) of subsection (c) at least once, either online or in person, before supervising a youth tackle football team player.

(7) Safety equipment shall be inspected before every full-contact practice or game to ensure that all youth tackle football team players are properly equipped.

(8) Each youth tackle football team player shall complete a minimum of 10 hours of noncontact practice at the beginning of each season for the purpose of conditioning, acclimating to safety equipment, and progressing to the introduction of full-contact practice. During noncontact practice, a youth tackle football player shall not wear any pads and shall only wear a helmet if required to do so by the player's coach.

(c) A youth sports league shall comply with all of the following requirements:

(1) Offer concussion and head injury education, or related educational materials, to each coach and administrator of a youth tackle football team.

(2) Annually provide a declaration to its youth tackle football teams stating that the youth sports league is in compliance with this Section, and shall either post the declaration on its website or provide the declaration to all of its youth tackle football team players.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2021.".