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North Carolina House Bill H602

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H602 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 602
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH10198-MG-31
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Coach Safely Act. (Public)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Reeder and Willis (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Health, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar,
11-and Operations of the House
12-April 1, 2025
13-*H602 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Reeder.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH10198 -MG-31*
1413 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1514 AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ANNUAL TRAINING REQUIREMENT FOR PERSONS 2
1615 SERVING AS PART OF THE ATHLETICS PERSONNEL OR COACHING STAFF OF 3
1716 ASSOCIATIONS THAT CONDUCT YOUTH ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES ON PROPERTY 4
1817 OWNED, LEASED, MANAGED, OR MAINTAINED BY THE STATE OR ANY OF ITS 5
1918 POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS; AND DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 6
2019 AND HUMAN SERVICES TO APPROVE COURSES THAT MEET THIS ANNUAL 7
2120 TRAINING REQUIREMENT. 8
2221 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 9
2322 SECTION 1. This act shall be known as "The Coach Safely Act." 10
2423 SECTION 2. Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 11
2524 Article to read: 12
2625 "Article 18A. 13
2726 "The Coach Safely Act for the Protection of Youth Athletes. 14
2827 "§ 130A-443.10. Definitions. 15
2928 The following definitions apply in this Part: 16
3029 (1) Association. – An organization that sponsors or conducts high-risk youth 17
3130 athletic activities on property owned, leased, managed, or maintained by the 18
3231 State or any of its political subdivisions. The term includes a city, county, 19
3332 business, or nonprofit organization that organizes community-based youth 20
3433 athletic events on such property. 21
3534 (2) Athletics personnel. – Athletic directors and other persons actively involved 22
3635 in organizing, training, or coaching athletic activities for youth who are 18 23
3736 years of age or younger. 24
3837 (3) Coach or coaching staff. – Any person, whether paid, unpaid, volunteer, or 25
3938 interim, who has been approved by an association to organize, train, or 26
4039 supervise a youth athlete or team of youth athletes. The term includes any 27
4140 person who has not been approved by an association but has been selected by 28
4241 a youth athlete or a team of youth athletes to organize, train, or supervise the 29
4342 youth athlete or team of youth athletes when the person approved by an 30
4443 association is unavailable. 31
4544 (4) Department. – The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of 32
46-Public Health. 33 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47-Page 2 House Bill 602-First Edition
48-(5) Youth athlete. – A youth who is 18 years of age or younger and participates 1
49-in an organized sport. 2
50-"§ 130A-443.12. Annual training requirement for athletics personnel and coaches. 3
51-(a) Each association shall require any person who is actively engaged in or serving as 4
52-part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff to complete a youth sports injury education course 5
53-that has been approved by the Department under G.S. 130A-443.14. The association shall offer 6
54-the training required by this section free of charge to each person who is actively engaged in or 7
55-serving as part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff. 8
56-(b) Each person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel 9
57-or coaching staff of an association is required to complete the youth sports injury education 10
58-course offered by the association pursuant to subsection (a) of this section within 30 days after 11
59-first becoming actively engaged in or serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or 12
60-coaching staff, and annually thereafter by the anniversary of the date on which the person became 13
61-actively engaged in or started serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or coaching 14
62-staff. 15
63-(c) Each association that has athletics personnel or coaching staff who are required to 16
64-complete a youth sports injury education course in accordance with this section shall maintain 17
65-an individual record of course completion for each member of the association's athletics 18
66-personnel or coaching staff for as long as the person serves in that capacity. 19
67-(d) The annual course completion requirement established by this section does not apply 20
68-to any of the following persons who have completed training in advance trauma life support 21
69-training: 22
70-(1) Athletic trainers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 23
71-(2) Physicians licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 24
72-(3) Nurses licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 25
73-(4) Advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical responders, 26
74-and emergency medical services-nurse practitioners, as these terms are 27
75-defined in G.S. 131E-155. 28
76-(5) Other healthcare practitioners. 29
77-"§ 130A-443.14. Department approval of youth sports injury education courses; limitation. 30
78-The Department shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence-based, best 31
79-practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association, National Council of Youth 32
80-Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education that may be 33
81-used to fulfill the requirements of G.S. 130A-443.12. The Department shall not approve any 34
82-youth sports injury education course that omits any of the following topics: 35
83-(1) Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease 36
84-the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged 37
85-or participating in youth athletic activities. 38
86-(2) Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to 39
87-traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities. 40
88-(3) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques. 41
89-(4) Concussions and head trauma. 42
90-(5) Heat and extreme weather-related injuries. 43
91-(6) Physical conditioning and training equipment usage. 44
92-(7) Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death. 45
93-"§ 130A-443.16. Defense to claims of liability against athletics personnel and coaches. 46
94-A person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel or coaching 47
95-staff of an association shall not be liable in any action that arises from an injury sustained by a 48
96-youth athlete as a result of the youth athlete's participation in a youth athletic activity upon a 49
97-demonstration that the athletics personnel member or coach did both of the following: 50
98-(1) Completed the sports injury education course required by G.S. 130A-443.12. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
99-House Bill 602-First Edition Page 3
100-(2) Reasonably conformed his or her conduct to the safety techniques and 1
101-methods identified in the sports injury education course." 2
102-SECTION 3. This act becomes effective October 1, 2025. 3
45+Public Health. 33
46+(5) Youth athlete. – A youth who is 18 years of age or younger and participates 34
47+in an organized sport. 35
48+"§ 130A-443.12. Annual training requirement for athletics personnel and coaches. 36
49+H.B. 602
50+Mar 31, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH10198-MG-31
53+(a) Each association shall require any person who is actively engaged in or serving as 1
54+part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff to complete a youth sports injury education course 2
55+that has been approved by the Department under G.S. 130A-443.14. The association shall offer 3
56+the training required by this section free of charge to each person who is actively engaged in or 4
57+serving as part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff. 5
58+(b) Each person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel 6
59+or coaching staff of an association is required to complete the youth sports injury education 7
60+course offered by the association pursuant to subsection (a) of this section within 30 days after 8
61+first becoming actively engaged in or serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or 9
62+coaching staff, and annually thereafter by the anniversary of the date on which the person became 10
63+actively engaged in or started serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or coaching 11
64+staff. 12
65+(c) Each association that has athletics personnel or coaching staff who are required to 13
66+complete a youth sports injury education course in accordance with this section shall maintain 14
67+an individual record of course completion for each member of the association's athletics 15
68+personnel or coaching staff for as long as the person serves in that capacity. 16
69+(d) The annual course completion requirement established by this section does not apply 17
70+to any of the following persons who have completed training in advance trauma life support 18
71+training: 19
72+(1) Athletic trainers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 20
73+(2) Physicians licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 21
74+(3) Nurses licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 22
75+(4) Advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical responders, 23
76+and emergency medical services-nurse practitioners, as these terms are 24
77+defined in G.S. 131E-155. 25
78+(5) Other healthcare practitioners. 26
79+"§ 130A-443.14. Department approval of youth sports injury education courses; limitation. 27
80+The Department shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence-based, best 28
81+practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association, National Council of Youth 29
82+Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education that may be 30
83+used to fulfill the requirements of G.S. 130A-443.12. The Department shall not approve any 31
84+youth sports injury education course that omits any of the following topics: 32
85+(1) Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease 33
86+the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged 34
87+or participating in youth athletic activities. 35
88+(2) Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to 36
89+traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities. 37
90+(3) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques. 38
91+(4) Concussions and head trauma. 39
92+(5) Heat and extreme weather-related injuries. 40
93+(6) Physical conditioning and training equipment usage. 41
94+(7) Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death. 42
95+"§ 130A-443.16. Defense to claims of liability against athletics personnel and coaches. 43
96+A person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel or coaching 44
97+staff of an association shall not be liable in any action that arises from an injury sustained by a 45
98+youth athlete as a result of the youth athlete's participation in a youth athletic activity upon a 46
99+demonstration that the athletics personnel member or coach did both of the following: 47
100+(1) Completed the sports injury education course required by G.S. 130A-443.12. 48
101+(2) Reasonably conformed his or her conduct to the safety techniques and 49
102+methods identified in the sports injury education course." 50
103+SECTION 3. This act becomes effective October 1, 2025. 51