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ConTACT Act designed to reduce head injuries in youth and prep sports
by Paul Tenorio
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
As the handling of concussions and head injuries has moved to the forefront in the NFL this year, Congress now is seeking to step in with legislation aimed at reducing the frequency of those injuries in youth and high school sports.
In a news conference Tuesday on Capitol Hill, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) outlined the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act, which aims to establish guidelines in schools for the treatment and diagnosis of concussions and emphasizes the importance of base-line diagnostic testing at the youth levels before athletes participate in contact sports.
Representatives from the NFL Players Association, including two former NFL players and two student-athletes who suffer from the long-term effects of concussions, were there to back the bill, which Pascrell hopes can develop mandatory guidelines within the next two years.
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