BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 7| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: AB 7 Author: Huffman (D), et al Amended: 4/7/10 in Senate Vote: 21 SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 5-1, 5/5/10 AYES: Romero, Alquist, Hancock, Price, Simitian NOES: Wyland NO VOTE RECORDED: Huff, Liu ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not relevant SUBJECT : High School Baseball Safety Act of 2010 SOURCE : Author DIGEST : Senate Floor Amendments of 4/7/10 deleted the entire bill dealing with the Political Reform Act of 1974. As amended, this bill enacts the High School Baseball Safety Act of 2010. This bill prohibits the use of nonwooden baseball bats during practice and competitive games at private and public high schools in California. The provisions of the bill sunset on January 1, 2012, to coincide with the implementation of new baseball bat standards. ANALYSIS : Existing law gives the governing board of a school district general control of, and responsibility for, all aspects of interscholastic athletic policies, programs, CONTINUED AB 7 Page 2 and activities in its district, and requires the governing board to ensure that all interscholastic policies, programs, and activities in its district are in compliance with state and federal law. Existing law prohibits participants in high school interscholastic football from wearing football helmets that are not certified for use by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment or another recognized certifying agency in the field. This bill enacts the High School Baseball Safety Act of 2010. The bill would express findings and declarations of the Legislature regarding the safety implications of the use of nonwooden bats in high school baseball. The bill, until July 1, 2014, prohibits the use of a nonwood baseball bat at a private or public high school competitive baseball game or practice or during a physical education class or activity conducted at a private or public high school. This bill contains the following Legislative findings: 1. On March 11, 2010, 16-year-old Gunnar Sandberg, a pitcher for Marin Catholic High School in Marin County, was struck in the head by a line-drive hit from a metal bat, and suffered severe head injuries that required emergency brain surgery. 2. The recent tragedy involving Gunnar Sandberg is not an isolated incident. In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of serious injury and even death involving baseball pitchers who were struck in the head by balls hit with metal bats. 3. Historically, and continuing to the present day at the professional level, baseball has been played with wooden bats. Beginning in approximately the 1970s, aluminum bats began to appear as a popular alternative to wood bats, and in recent years nonwooden bats have become commonplace at these levels of competition. Advances in baseball bat design, including the materials and technology used, have resulted in bats that far outperform traditional wood bats. AB 7 Page 3 4. There is substantial evidence that baseballs struck with these advanced nonwooden bats travel at faster velocities, leaving pitchers less time to respond to balls that are hit at them and increasing the likelihood of serious injury. In 2009, the NCAA enacted a moratorium on the use of composite barreled bats until 2011. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), this moratorium is necessary to protect the integrity of the game and to enhance the safety of the student athletes. 5. In California and throughout the country, there are growing concerns that these advanced nonwooden bats present an unacceptable safety risk to pitchers. These concerns are especially acute at the high school level. Many members of the baseball community, as well as independent experts, have called for a ban on nonwooden bats. Some also suggest that protective headgear for pitchers should be required. 6. In response to the Sandberg tragedy, the Marin County Athletic League voted on March 25, 2010, to suspend the use of nonwooden bats for the rest of the 2010 baseball season, and called on other high school athletic officials to do the same. 7. A statewide moratorium on the use of nonwooden bats in high school baseball for three years is an appropriate precautionary measure. The sport of baseball will not be harmed or compromised by the use of traditional wood bats during this period. It is the intent of the Legislature that, during this three-year moratorium, sports officials and members of the baseball community should actively consider and evaluate strategies to ensure player safety, including, but not limited to, the materials and performance standards for baseball bats and the possibility of protective headgear. 8. The Legislature notes that nonwooden bats are prohibited at the major and minor league levels, and baseball is a game of traditions, which suggests that consideration should be given to whether the use of nonwooden bats is consistent with the traditions and highest standards of the game. AB 7 Page 4 The provisions of the bill sunset on January 1, 2012, to coincide with the implementation of new baseball bat standards. Background The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is a voluntary organization of school principals, school board members, school superintendents and school athletics directors. There are 10 CIF Sections (regional governance structure). The CIF operates under statewide bylaws, and school districts and local CIF Sections develop their own Section bylaws that are under the umbrella of the state bylaws. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is conducting tests to measure the performance of baseball bats. Baseball bats that meet NCAA performance standards are allowed for use in high schools in California. The CIF does not conduct their own performance tests purportedly due to a lack of funding. New NCAA standards will apply to high schools in 2012 . In 2009, the National Federation of State High School Associations adopted a rule change that will require all baseball bats used by high school baseball teams to meet the Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution performance standard beginning in January 1, 2012. The CIF typically follows rules for baseball adopted by the National Federation of State High School Associations, and as such, bats used in high school baseball in California will be required to meet BBCOR performance standards beginning January 1, 2012. Local action regarding non-wood bats . The Marin County Athletic League and the Bay Counties League have imposed a moratorium on non-wood bats for the remainder of the current baseball season. The North Coast Section (of CIF) recently opted not to impose a moratorium on non-wood bats for the playoffs because the entire regular season was played using non-wood bats, and apparently did not feel the safety of pupils was at a significantly greater risk by using non-wood bats. However, some expect the North Coast AB 7 Page 5 Section to revisit this issue before the beginning of the next regular season. As these local moratoriums indicate, state law does not preclude individual teams, leagues or sections from imposing moratoriums or bans on non-wood bats. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 5/12/10) American Nurses Association of California California Academy of Physician Assistants California Orthopedic Association Consumer Attorneys of California OPPOSITION : (Verified 5/12/10) American Amateur Baseball Congress American Legion Baseball Babe Ruth Baseball Little League Baseball National Collegiate Athletic Association PONY International Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association USA Baseball ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, "on March 11, 2010, a 16-year old Marin Catholic High School pitcher was struck in the head by a baseball hit with an aluminum bat. Witnesses and baseball experts estimate that the ball was traveling in excess of 100 mph, leaving the pitcher with virtually no time to react. This tragedy is the latest in a growing number of incidents involving injuries to pitchers from performance-enhancing metal bats." ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association states in opposition, "?what prompted this discussion was the batted-ball injury suffered by Gunnar Sandberg (from Marin Catholic High School) on March 11. The baseball industry's thoughts and prayers remain with Gunner and his family. It was a tragic accident, to say the least. AB 7 Page 6 "Right now, high school (and college) baseball bats right now are produced to the BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) standard, though that bat standard is being changed to the more restrictive BBCOR standard -- beginning on January 1, 2011 for college baseball and on January 1, 2012 for high school baseball. "In the proposed legislation to ban non-wood bats by California State Assemblyman Jared Huffman, he is requesting that tests on bats should be conducted so that safer standards can be established on non-wood bats. I'm pleased to inform you that USA Baseball, the national governing body of amateur baseball in the United States, is in the midst of testing non-wood bats. The process is currently taking place at Brown University under the direction of Dr. Trey Crisco. The bats to be tested will range from bats used by Little Leaguers (youth bats) to bats used by college players. "In the meantime, there has been a great deal of research done in recent years on the 'wood vs. non-wood' baseball bat issue which bears further consideration." USA Baseball also states in opposition that, "As a parent, the emotion and pain of the incident involving Gunnar Sandberg is not lost on me. However, within the past weeks two professional baseball players (wood bats) were involved in similar incidents (Rudy Lugo, AAA Pitcher on April 24th struck by a line drive in the temple and listed in serious condition, and Pittsburgh Pirates' Pitcher Chris Jakubauskas was hit in the face on the same day in a Major League Game and subsequently hospitalized). "The National Federation of State High School Associations, in close cooperation with the NCAA has mandated the use of baseball bats that are subject to performance specific standards. Additionally, the NCAA and NFSHA will be enacting new standards (the NCAA in January, 2011 and the NFSHA in January 2012) that will further govern (limit) bat standards. As a result of these bat standards it is the opinion of USA Baseball that such legislation as proposed in Assembly Bill No. 7 is not warranted or necessary." AB 7 Page 7 RJG:nl 5/12/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****