Health, wellness, and safety standards

(a) Establishment of standards Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each institution, conference, and intercollegiate 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 intercollegiate 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) Provision of information on contact for Student Athlete Ombudsman (1) Intercollegiate athletic association An intercollegiate athletic association shall provide to student athletes information on how to contact the Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman, as established in section 108, on the internet website of the association. (2) Institution At the beginning of each academic year, an institution shall provide to student athletes information on how to locate the website specified under paragraph (1) or a link to the website and information on how to contact the Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman, as established in section 108. (d) Athletic health and safety officers (1) In general Each institution shall designate an employee, who is independent of the athletic department, as the athletic health and safety officer for the institution. (2) Reporting The athletic health and safety officer designated under paragraph (1) shall report to an employee of the institution who is independent of the athletic department. (3) Officer responsibilities An employee who is designated by an institution under paragraph (1) as an athletic health and safety 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 employee specified under paragraph (2). (e) Independence of medical professionals (1) In general Medical personnel, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, and physicians, shall have the autonomous, unchallengeable authority to determine medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at an institution. (2) Limitation on nonmedical personnel No coach or other nonmedical personnel of an institution may attempt to influence or disregard the decisions of medical personnel with respect to the medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at the institution. (f) Rule of construction Nothing in this section may be construed to preclude— (1) an intercollegiate athletic association association, conference, institution, or State from establishing additional health, wellness, and safety standards to protect student athletes; athletes, including additional sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment standards in addition to those specified in subsection (b); or (2) an intercollegiate athletic association, conference, institution, or student athletes from requesting or advocating for additional health, wellness, and safety standards to protect student athletes.athletes. (g) Intercollegiate athletic association oversight An intercollegiate athletic association shall take reasonable actions to ensure that its member institutions comply with this section.