By: Price (Senate Sponsor - Perry) H.B. No. 3449

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 2021; May 12, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on Education; May 19, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 19, 2021, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the membership of a public school concussion oversight team and the removal of a public school student from an interscholastic athletic activity on the basis of a suspected concussion.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 38.154, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a-1) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may include any person licensed under Chapter 201 or 453, Occupations Code, as a member of the district or charter school concussion oversight team, provided that the person meets the training requirement under Subsection (c).

SECTION 2. Section 38.156, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 38.156. REMOVAL FROM PLAY IN PRACTICE OR COMPETITION FOLLOWING CONCUSSION. A student shall be removed from an interscholastic athletics practice or competition immediately if one of the following persons believes the student might have sustained a concussion during the practice or competition:

(1) a coach;

(2) a physician;

(3) a licensed health care professional;

(4) a person licensed under Chapter 201 or 453, Occupations Code;

(5) a school nurse; or

(6) the student's parent or guardian or another person with legal authority to make medical decisions for the student.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.

* * * * *