State Senate Approves Concussion Bill

The state Senate approved legislation Wednesday that aims to safeguard student-athletes against traumatic head injuries and increase public awareness of the issue.

Senate Bill 200, which had been introduced by Sen. Pat Browne,  R- 16th Senatorial District, now goes to the House for consideration. The 16th senatorial district  includes parts of Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.

A companion bill introduced by Rep. Tim Briggs, a Democrat from Montgomery County,  is in a House committee.

Under the Safety in Youth Sports Act, school officials, coaches, athletic trainers and others can sideline student-athletes who show symptoms of a concussion. It would also bar the student-athletes from participating in competitions or practices until they have been evaluated and medically cleared to go back in the game.

The legislation, which sets guidelines, requires that students who show signs of brain trauma be taken out of a game and medically evaluated. Coaches who violate the provision would face penalties.

The legislation also would require coaches to be trained about brain injury risks in school sports. 

 “It wasn’t all that long ago that these injuries were downplayed," Browne said in the release. "It was common just to say that a player simply got his “bell rung” after a violent collision. Often, these players were told to just “shake it off” and get back on to the field.” 

Browne said, however, that it is now known that repeated concussive injuries have a cumulative impact on the brain.