Senate Committee Passes Bill to Improve Youth Sports Safety

DENVER, CO – Today, the Senate Education Committee approved Senate President Pro Tem James Coleman, D-Denver, and Senator Tony Exum’s, D-Colorado Springs, bill to make Colorado youth sports safer.

SB24-113 addresses the fact that many non-scholastic sports organizations lack basic athletic safety policies. It would require youth sports coaches to complete abuse prevention training and abide by a code of conduct policy while also establishing a process for handling violations of the policy. The bill would apply to private for-profit or non-profit youth sports organizations.

“All kids should have the opportunity to participate in sports and know that they’re surrounded by safe, trusted, and vetted adults,” said Coleman. “Playing sports can help kids stay engaged in their community while building life skills and reducing youth violence. I’m proud to see this bill move forward as we work to create safer spaces for Colorado’s young athletes.”

“Youth sports teach kids to be a part of a team, develop leadership skills, and help students succeed in and out of the classroom,” said Exum. “The last thing families should be concerned about is if the coaches have been properly trained in abuse prevention – it should be a given. With this bill, we can ensure our kids are safe while having fun.”

Under this bill, organizations would be required to do the following: institute comprehensive abuse prevention on an annual basis for adults working directly with minors; have a mechanism to receive reports of possible violations; and be required to conduct background checks on adults working with athletes who are minors, including but not limited to a national criminal check and the national sex offender registry.

The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further review. Follow its progress HERE.