Rep. Morgan Irwin’s legislation to create a centralized concussion reporting system for high school sports unanimously passes House
Irwin: “Let’s do right by our kids and the sports they compete in.”
A bill seeking to create a centralized reporting system for data relating to concussion rates in high school sports unanimously passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.
House Bill 2731 was authored by Rep. Morgan Irwin, R-Enumclaw.
Under the bill, beginning in the 2020-21 academic year, schools would report information about each head injury sustained during athletic and other activities to the Department of Health (DOH), thus creating a centralized system on data relating to concussion rates, patterns, trends and other relevant information.
“We should have the data to keep our young athletes healthy, safe, and active. Many school districts are making decisions to limit certain activities based on a small number of adverse events, not actual data,” said Irwin. “The goal is not to fundamentally change the sports our kids are participating in, but to conduct the sports in the safest manner possible.”
Irwin believes that having adequate data is important to better track any trends that need to be addressed to minimize future injuries using real data. House Bill 2731 heads to the Senate for further consideration.
The 60-day legislative session is scheduled to adjourn March 12.
