Children’s Hospital Colorado Recaps Wins from 2011 Legislative Session
YourHub.com
A key part of the mission of Children's Colorado is to advocate on behalf of kids in the public policy arena, making sure that their needs and concerns are heard when important decisions are made. During the 2011 legislative session, which ended in May, Children’s Colorado had two overarching legislative priorities: 1) keeping kids safe and healthy and 2) expanding access to health care for Colorado children and their families.
During the 2011 session, Children’s Colorado played a key role in the passage of the following legislation related to protecting kids’ health and safety:
- Senate Bill 14: The Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act; Requires youth (ages 11-18) athletics coaches to take a yearly concussion education course, and to get medical signoff for athletes to compete again once they’ve suffered an initial concussion. These requirements are critical because concussions pose particular dangers to children and young adults, whose brains are still developing and take longer to recover after an injury. Another impact before a prior concussion has fully healed can lead to permanent injury and disability or even death.
- House Bill 1016: Pertains to the regulation of e-cigarettes, electronic devices that deliver nicotine. This legislation expanded the definition of “tobacco product” to include e-cigarettes, thus making it illegal to sell them to minors.
- Senate Bill 227: Eliminates a loophole in car seat requirements. The law, signed last year, waived the child seat requirement for children riding in older cars with no shoulder restraints. This measure makes Colorado eligible for $500,000 in booster seat education funds, ends the loophole and makes all cars subject to the same requirements.
Read more about our impact on the 2011 legislative session and what's to come in 2012!
