Student athlete safety standards

(a) Health, welfare, and safety standards Each institution, conference, and athletic association shall adhere to standards to protect student athletes from sports-related serious injury, conditions, and death, including— (1) brain injury, by adhering to the concussion management practices, protocols, and legislation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association effective January 15, 2024, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; (2) heat-related illness, by adhering to the American College of Sports Medicine Expert Consensus Statement on Exertional Heat Illness: Recognition, Management, and Return to Activity (April 2023), and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; (3) rhabdomyolysis, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for exertional rhabdomyolysis published in 2025, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; and (4) for any student athlete who is identified with— (A) sickle cell trait, by following the guidelines published by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2025, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; and (B) asthma, by following the guidelines of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Management of Asthma in Athletes (September 2005), and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes. (b) Measures To prevent, assess, and remediate abuse or misconduct Each institution, conference, and athletic association shall take reasonable actions to prevent, assess, and remediate— (1) abuse or hazing of any student athlete, including physical and sexual abuse; and (2) sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment. (c) Athlete advocate organizations Each institution, athletic department, conference, and athletic association shall provide student athletes with a list of independent athlete advocate organizations at the beginning of each academic year. (d) Independent officers of institutions (1) In general Each institution shall designate an official, independent from the athletic department of the institution, as the athletic health and safety independent officer for the institution. (2) Reporting The health and safety independent officer designated under paragraph (1) for an institution shall report directly to— (A) the president or other head officer of the institution; or (B) a designee of the president or other head officer of the institution if such designee— (i) reports directly to the president or other head officer of the institution; (ii) is not an employee of the athletic department of the institution; and (iii) does not report to any employee of the athletic department. (3) Independent officer responsibilities An employee who is designated by an institution under paragraph (1) as a health and safety independent officer shall be responsible for, at a minimum— (A) overseeing implementation of the applicable requirements the institution is subject to under this section, including any applicable training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures; and (B) consulting with student athletes and athletic department personnel and reporting any suspected violations of this section to the president or other head officer of the institution.