Senator Anitere Flores, District 38 — Press Release

Flores’ Bill to Protect Student Athletes from Head Injuries Progresses

Senate Bill 256 Creates Policies to Protect Youth in Sports

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Each year, 125 thousand school-age athletes throughout the country suffer closed brain injuries. Florida State Senator Anitere Flores, R-Miami, is the sponsor of a bill she hopes will prevent life-threatening head injuries and protect Florida’s youth athletes. Senate Bill 256 made progress last week when it passed unanimously from the Health Regulation Committee.

“In the past, it was common practice to say, ‘you got your bell rung,’ or ‘shake it off, and get back in the game,’” said Flores. “But medical science has proven that the traumatic brain injury that occurs with repetitive concussions can lead to long-term cognitive deficits.”

Traumatic brain injuries occur when a player receives a major blow to the head that causes the brain to slam against the skull, resulting in soft tissue injury and cell death. Often, there is a second injury as the brain rebounds against the opposite side of the skull. These injuries can occur in a variety of sports’ games, tryouts and practices, including football, volleyball, baseball, lacrosse and cheerleading. Studies show that female athletes are more susceptible to these injuries than their male counterparts.

Flores’ bill, a priority of groups such as the NFL and the Brain Injury Association, will educate parents, student athletes and coaches on the risk and identification of brain injuries. It authorizes the Florida High School Athletic Association and coaches associations to create rules for removing student athletes when brain injuries occur, and it also establishes a policy to return players back to play after their recovery with the authorization of a doctor.

“For young people with developing brains, these types of injuries can have profound effects on their coping skills, mood, social development and memory,” added Flores. “In extreme cases, we’ve also seen that these injuries can lead to death. We need to take these incidents seriously.”

SB 256 is scheduled to be heard next in the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations. Flores released the following video message regarding the bill: http://youtu.be/Xw4DtxJLo3w. To track the progress of this and other bills moving through the legislative process, visit www.flsenate.gov.