Florida Senate - 2012 SB 606
By Senator Montford
6-00521-12 2012606__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to youth athletes; amending ss.
3 943.0438 and 1006.20, F.S.; requiring that an
4 independent sanctioning authority for youth athletic
5 teams and the Florida High School Athletic Association
6 adopt guidelines, bylaws, and policies relating to the
7 nature and risk of exertional heat stroke and heat
8 related injury in youth athletes; requiring that a
9 parent or guardian of a youth who participates in an
10 athletic competition or who is a candidate for an
11 athletic team sign and return an informed-consent form
12 before the youth athlete participates in an athletic
13 competition or engages in any practice, tryout,
14 workout, or other physical activity; requiring that
15 any youth athlete who is suspected of suffering from
16 an exertional heat stroke or heat-related injury
17 during a practice or competition be removed from the
18 practice or competition; prohibiting a youth athlete
19 who has suffered from an exertional heat stroke or
20 heat-related injury from returning to the practice or
21 competition until the youth athlete receives written
22 medical clearance from a physician; authorizing the
23 physician to delegate the performance of medical acts
24 to certain licensed or certified health care providers
25 under certain circumstances; providing an effective
26 date.
27
28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30 Section 1. Paragraphs (e) and (f) are added to subsection
31 (2) of section 943.0438, Florida Statutes, to read:
32 943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning
33 authorities.—
34 (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall:
35 (e) Adopt guidelines informing athletic coaches, officials,
36 administrators, and youth athletes and their parents or
37 guardians of the nature and risk of exertional heat stroke (EHS)
38 and heat-related injury.
39 (f) Adopt bylaws or policies requiring:
40 1. The parent or guardian of a youth who participates in an
41 athletic competition or who is a candidate for an athletic team
42 to sign and return an informed-consent form each year before the
43 youth athlete participates in an athletic competition or engages
44 in any practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity
45 associated with the youth’s candidacy for an athletic team. The
46 form must explain the nature and risk of EHS and heat-related
47 injury, including the risk of continuing to play after suffering
48 from an EHS or heat-related injury.
49 2. The removal of any youth athlete who is suspected of
50 suffering from an EHS or heat-related injury during a practice
51 or competition.
52 a. A youth athlete who has been removed from a practice or
53 competition may not return to the practice or competition until
54 the youth receives written medical clearance from a physician
55 licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 which states that the
56 youth athlete no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors
57 consistent with an EHS or heat-related injury.
58 b. Before issuing a written medical clearance to return to
59 the practice or competition, a physician may delegate the
60 performance of medical acts to a health care provider licensed
61 or certified under s. 458.347, s. 459.022, s. 464.012, or s.
62 468.707 with whom the physician maintains a formal supervisory
63 relationship or an established written protocol that identifies
64 the medical acts or evaluations to be performed and the
65 conditions for their performance and that attests to proficiency
66 in the evaluation and management of an EHS or heat-related
67 injury.
68 Section 2. Paragraphs (e) and (f) are added to subsection
69 (2) of section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read:
70 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
71 (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS.—
72 (e) The organization shall adopt guidelines informing
73 athletic coaches, officials, administrators, and youth athletes
74 and their parents or guardians of the nature and risk of
75 exertional heat stroke (EHS) and heat-related injury.
76 (f) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies
77 requiring:
78 1. The parent or guardian of a youth who participates in an
79 athletic competition or who is a candidate for an athletic team
80 to sign and return an informed-consent form each year before the
81 youth athlete participates in an athletic competition or engages
82 in any practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity
83 associated with the youth’s candidacy for an athletic team. The
84 form must explain the nature and risk of EHS and heat-related
85 injury, including the risk of continuing to play after suffering
86 from an EHS or heat-related injury.
87 2. The removal of any youth athlete who is suspected of
88 suffering from an EHS or heat-related injury during a practice
89 or competition.
90 a. A youth athlete who has been removed from a practice or
91 competition may not return to the practice or competition until
92 the youth receives written medical clearance from a physician
93 licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 which states that the
94 youth athlete no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors
95 consistent with an EHS or heat-related injury.
96 b. Before issuing a written medical clearance to return to
97 the practice or competition, a physician may delegate the
98 performance of medical acts to a health care provider licensed
99 or certified under s. 458.347, s. 459.022, s. 464.012, or s.
100 468.707 with whom the physician maintains a formal supervisory
101 relationship or an established written protocol that identifies
102 the medical acts or evaluations to be performed and the
103 conditions for their performance and that attests to proficiency
104 in the evaluation and management of an EHS or heat-related
105 injury.
106 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.