HB 823 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to youth athletic activities; creating 2
s. 381.796, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring an 3
entity that administers or conducts a high -risk youth 4
athletic activity or training related to such activity 5
on certain property to require certain unpaid or 6
volunteer personnel to complete a specified course and 7
for such entities to maintain a record of personnel 8
who complete the course for a specified timeframe; 9
requiring such personnel to complete the course within 10
a specified timeframe and annually thereafter; 11
providing that the course may be offered online or in 12
person; prohibiting personnel from being charged a fee 13
for the course; requiring the cou rse to include 14
specified information; providing an exemption for 15
licensed athletic trainers; requiring the Department 16
of Health to adopt rules; providing an effective date. 17
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
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Section 1. Section 381.796, Florida Statutes, is created 21
to read: 22
381.796 High-risk youth athletic activities. — 23
(1) For the purposes of this section, the term: 24
(a) "Athletics personnel" means an individual who is 25
HB 823 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0823-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
actively involved in organizing, conducting, or coac hing a high-26
risk youth athletic activity or an individual involved with 27
training a child for participation in a high -risk youth athletic 28
activity. 29
(b) "High-risk youth athletic activity" means any 30
organized sport for children 14 years of age or younger i n which 31
there is a significant possibility for the child to sustain a 32
serious physical injury. The term includes, but is not limited 33
to, the sports of football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, 34
soccer, ice or field hockey, cheerleading, and lacrosse. 35
(2) Any entity that administers or conducts a high -risk 36
youth athletic activity, or training for such activity, on land 37
owned, leased, operated, or maintained by the state or a 38
political subdivision of the state must require any unpaid or 39
volunteer athletics personnel to complete a course approved by 40
the Department of Health that provides such personnel with 41
information on how to prevent or decrease the chances of a 42
participant in a high -risk youth athletic activity from 43
sustaining a serious physical injury. 44
(a) The course must be completed within 30 days after the 45
athletics personnel's initial involvement with the high -risk 46
youth athletic activity and must be completed annually 47
thereafter. 48
(b) The course may be offered online or in person, and the 49
athletics personnel may not be charged any fee relating to the 50
HB 823 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0823-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
course. 51
(c) The course must include the following information on: 52
1. Emergency preparedness, planning, and rehearsal in 53
relation to traumatic injuries. 54
2. Concussions and head trauma. 55
3. Injuries resulting from heat or extreme weather. 56
4. Physical conditioning and the proper use of training 57
equipment. 58
(d) The entity must maintain a record of each athletics 59
personnel who completes the course for the entirety of his or 60
her service as an unpaid or volunteer athletics personnel. 61
(3) An athletic trainer licensed under chapter 468 is 62
exempt from the course requirements in this section. 63
(4) The department shall adopt rules to implement this 64
section. 65
Section 2. This act shall take effec t July 1, 2023. 66