Congress considering school sports concussion legislation

Congress is considering a bill to strengthen public school procedures for preventing, detecting, and treating student-athletes who suffer concussions while competing in games and practices, a bill Congressman Tim Bishop supports.

Mr. Bishop (D-Southampton) joined fellow Democratic lawmakers today to  introduce legislation to strengthen k-12 schools’ procedures for preventing, detecting, and treating student-athletes who suffer concussions while competing in sports.

Primarily, the bill would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools across the country with plans that educate students, parents and school personnel about how to recognize and respond to concussions — something the Congressman called a first.

“Concussions are an unfortunate reality of competitive sports from the sandlot to the Super Bowl,” Mr. Bishop said in a press release. “This legislation addresses the clear need for nationwide standards and new tools for students, coaches, and teachers on concussion prevention, management, and recovery.”

Mr. Bishop said he was the original sponsor of the bill when it was first introduced in 2009 and the Senate approved similar legislation earlier this year.

The National Federation of State High School Associations estimates that about 140,000 students playing high school sports suffer concussions every year, though many go unreported.

A fact sheet on the bill is available at:  http://timbishop.house.gov/uploads/Concussion%20fact%20sheets.pdf

The full bill text is available at:  http://timbishop.house.gov/uploads/11.13.13%20BISHNY_027_xml.pdf