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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Tim Briggs |
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Briggs: Concussion bill moving in House, Senate
Committee vote on S.B. 200 expected next Tuesday
HARRISBURG, June 22 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, said the Senate today unanimously passed legislation aimed at better managing concussions in youth sports and increasing awareness regarding their seriousness and the devastating, life-long effects they can cause.
In January, Briggs and state Sen. Pat Browne jointly introduced the proposed Safety in Youth Sports Act (H.B. 200/S.B. 200) in both the House and Senate. Following the legislation's passage in the Senate, Briggs said he received a commitment from Chairman Paul Clymer that S.B. 200 will be scheduled for a vote in the House Education Committee next Tuesday, June 28.
"We all know that concussions are nothing to shake off, and we need to make sure we do everything we can to protect our student athletes from serious injury," Briggs said. "I have been working hard on this legislation since my first year in the state House and it has come a long way from where we started. Thanks to bipartisan support and the strong leadership of Senator Browne, we are one step closer to passing this bill into law."
The proposed Safety in Youth Sports Act aims to ensure that male and female student athletes who suffer concussions receive proper care and rest before they get back into the game. The bill states that a player who shows symptoms of sustaining a concussion would not be able to return to play until cleared by an appropriate medical professional.
Additionally, the legislation would require students and a parent or guardian to annually sign a concussion information sheet, require that coaches take a free online concussion certification course and encourage schools to hold informational meetings to increase awareness about proper injury management.
Briggs represents the 149th Legislative District in Montgomery County. For more information, visit www.pahouse.com/Briggs, or get regular updates on Twitter and Facebook.
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