04/13/2011 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

               HB  15-STUDENT ATHLETE CONCUSSIONS                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS announced the first order of business would be HB
, relating to student athlete concussions. [CSHB 15 (JUD) was                                                                 
before the committee.]                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:37:30 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE   DOOGAN,  sponsor  of  HB   15,  noted  the                                                               
committee had  already heard  SB 22,  the Senate  companion bill.                                                               
The two bills are essentially  the same, with three minor changes                                                               
in  the Judiciary  CS.  First,  on page  2,  line  30, the  House                                                               
Judiciary Committee  allowed the words "or  electronically" after                                                               
"in  writing."  The second  change,  page  3  line 2,  the  House                                                               
Education  Committee changed  subsection 1  to say,  "health care                                                               
provider who  is licensed in  the state or exempt  from licensure                                                               
under state law."  This relates to doctors from  other states who                                                               
may be  temporarily working  in rural communities.  On page  3 at                                                               
lines 12 and 13, the  Judiciary Committee added the words "caused                                                               
by a concussion"  to clarify that the immunity in  this bill does                                                               
not apply to other kinds of injury.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:40:05 PM                                                                                                                    
KENNETH  EDMUNDS,  Director  of  Government  Relations,  National                                                               
Football league said the NFL is  a strong supporter of this youth                                                               
concussion  education and  prevention bill.  HB 15  will help  to                                                               
prevent   preventable  brain   injuries  and   make  sports   and                                                               
recreational  activities  safer   for  Alaska's  youth  athletes.                                                               
Children and teens  are more likely to get a  concussion and take                                                               
longer  to recover  than adults.  More  than 40  percent of  high                                                               
school athletes return to participate  in school athletics before                                                               
they have fully recovered from these brain injuries.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
That is why the NFL has  undertaken a state level advocacy effort                                                               
to promote youth  concussion laws similar to the 2009  law in the                                                               
state of  Washington. Zachary Listead  survived but  continues to                                                               
face a  long road  of rehabilitation. HB  15 contains  three core                                                               
principles: concussion  education, immediate  removal of  a youth                                                               
athlete who appears to have  suffered a concussion, and mandatory                                                               
clearance by  a licensed health  care provider who is  trained in                                                               
the evaluation and management of concussions.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:43:57 PM                                                                                                                    
This  legislation allows  a  qualified person  to  clear a  youth                                                               
athlete. It  will make sports and  recreational activities better                                                               
by making  them safer. It  also will  help to reinforce  the same                                                               
rule  governing NFL  football fields;  the  medical decisions  of                                                               
health  care  professionals  take  precedence  over  the  playing                                                               
decisions  of parents  and coaches.  The NFL  believes that  is a                                                               
winning game plan.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:45:06 PM                                                                                                                    
JILL  HODGES, Executive  Director,  Alaska  Brain Injury  Network                                                               
said she  testified in support  of HB 15 throughout  the process.                                                               
She thanked the Senate HSS  Committee for hearing the bill today,                                                               
and she supports the changes made on the House side.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:46:00 PM                                                                                                                    
GARY  MATTHEWS,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  School  Activities                                                               
Association (ASAA), thanked  the Senate HSS committee  as well as                                                               
Representative Doogan  and his staff.  ASAA is strongly  in favor                                                               
of this version and would like to see it enacted this session.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:47:38 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS  closed public  testimony. She  said the  bill before                                                               
the  committee is  the  CS from  the  House Judiciary  committee,                                                               
version  I.  She noted  the  Senate  HSS  committee had  heard  a                                                               
similar bill and they also support this one.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:48:59 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR EGAN moved to report  CSHB 15(JUD) from Senate Health and                                                               
Social    Services    Standing    Committee    with    individual                                                               
recommendations  and  attached  fiscal note(s).  There  being  no                                                               
objection, it was so ordered.