You are the force behind this bill and it is continuing to move forward! Yesterday, the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously voted in favor of the Athlete Safety Bill!
Laurie was there and addressed the Representatives briefly in support of the Bill, asking for their continued support and outreach through their relationships with other House Representatives and Senators. As this is a budget committee, there were questions about expenses for schools to comply with the Bill. Mr. Bob Sefcik of Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program did a terrific job of explaining to the Subcommittee how schools can offset expenses through community and business partnerships and used the "Project 17" initiative in Jacksonville, Florida as an example of how well those partnerships work. Mr. Sefcik also spoke about partnerships between Florida Alliance of Sports Medicine (FASMed) and other organizations, including Zach Martin Memorial Foundation to donate Cold Water Immersion tubs to the remaining public schools in Florida that need them, thus relieving that portion of the expense for the school. The general consensus was recognizing there is a cost for safety, but the costs are far outweighed by the lifesaving benefits of not only having the equipment, but also having guidelines in place for implementing them.
The House Bill will go to the Education Committee next and the Senate Bill has been referred to the Education, Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, and Rules committees. We are updating the Senators and Representatives copied on this petition as the Athlete Safety Bills move through the Committees and we will continue to send updates on their progress!
When sharing online, be sure to include a note that this petition is saving high school kids' lives. If you have a personal connection, please share that too! Your friends and contacts will be more likely to read and respond to a post with a message from you! Your support means the world to us! You are saving lives by signing and sharing this petition to get as much support as possible!