NEWS

WVATA Statement on SB 585

-Update March 7, 2025

Zach Garrett (GAC Chair) was made aware of a couple of amendments to SB 585. Athletes wearing football helmets with a good safety profile are exempt from wearing the softshell caps. The fiscal note may have also been removed.

Please note in the Committee Substitute SB 585 Section 18-36-4 and 18-36-5 some amendments and possible removal of the fiscal note. The Committee Substitution document for SB585 is below.

SB585 Substitution 1

As new updates are available, we will post them on our social medial channels and here on the news section of the website.

March 5, 2025

The West Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association (WVATA) would like to begin by thanking the legislators for their advocacy for the safety and well-being of our state’s athletes. We recognize the sincere desire to prevent tragedies like the untimely death of Cohen Craddock, and our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time. His loss has deeply affected the athletic community, and we share in the call to take meaningful action to ensure that no family experiences such a tragedy again.

While we appreciate the sentiments of this bill, we must express our opposition to the inclusion of softshell caps in SB 585. Research and evidence indicate that these caps do not reduce concussion risk and are not a solution to improving high school or middle school athlete safety. We believe that efforts should be focused on strategies that are scientifically proven to prevent injury and protect lives.

We encourage the legislature to prioritize initiatives such as enhanced coach education on Traumatic Head Injuries and improved Emergency Action Plan (EAP) development and implementation (above and beyond that currently written in WV legislation). These measures, supported by evidence, will have a far greater impact on athlete safety than softshell caps.

While we support the creation of an advisory committee, we urge caution in adding another committee to the landscape of existing health and safety organizations. Instead of those listed as members on the legislation, we propose that the committee include representatives from leading organizations in West Virginia, including the WVATA, EMS organizations, and a member from the SSAC Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, as well as the State Superintendent’s office. If additional members are necessary, we strongly recommend including certified and licensed athletic trainers, as this language is currently missing from the bill. We also support including parents and lay persons to ensure that all stakeholders are well-informed on these important topics.

The WVATA is fully committed to advancing sport safety, but we believe it is critical to do so through evidence-based legislation. We are open to working together to revise the current proposal to ensure that it truly saves lives and protects our athletes.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to continuing the conversation on how we can make meaningful strides in enhancing sport safety in West Virginia.

Here is what the WVATA is doing:

•     President Elect Konz and GAC member Jenni Johnson are going to the Judiciary committee hearing today (Wednesday 3/5 at 3pm) to listen to the testimony about the bill.
•     Our lobbyist, Kendra, has been meeting with several different legislators and has gotten a pulse for the bill. Because of the positions of the sponsors of the bill, we believe it might have a lot of momentum to pass through the senate. Therefore, we are going to be proposing some minimal amendments to it in the senate: changing the advisory board language to including someone from the WVATA and ensuring that at least one or two additional certified and licensed athletic trainers are on the committee (to prevent the limited sports trainers from serving in this capacity). We are also trying to get coach education added to the bill. We will still be pushing to educate about the ineffectiveness of the softshell caps and promoting better use of the funds for other health and safety initiatives.
•     We are going to try to meet with the lobbyist for the bill again (the Craddock’s lawyer/lobbyist) and see if they would be willing to entertain an idea to add the proposed amendments above.
•     We believe we might have more pushback in the house and that is where we will focus a lot of lobbying efforts to better shape the bill and better educate against the softshell caps.

CALL TO ACTION:

•   We need your help. If you feel strongly about this bill, please contact your legislator. We know your time is limited so we developed a template email for you to send– please feel free to revise this as you wish to fit your thoughts.
•   Use this link to find out who your legislators are: https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/
•   Then use this link to find out your senators email: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Senate1/roster.cfm
•   If you want to email your delegate to put it on their radar, feel free: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/House/roster.cfm
•  We will need as much support from members and the community, particularly if the bill gets to the house, as possible. Will keep you posted.

As always, please reach out to Zach Garrett (GAC Chair) or Samm Scarneo-Miller (President)  if you have any questions. Huge thanks to Zach and his team for working on this and Kendra is a rockstar as always.

Do you know of an athletic trainer in the state that is not a member? Let them know of the work we are doing and encourage them to become a member – every dollar helps us to pay our lobbyist to help fight these types of bills.

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