H 602

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
  SESSION 2025
 H  3
  HOUSE BILL 602
  Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25
  Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 5/6/25
 Short Title:   Coach Safely Act.  (Public)
 Sponsors:
 Referred to:
  April 1, 2025
1A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ANNUAL TRAINING REQUIREMENT FOR PERSONS
3     SERVING AS PART OF THE ATHLETICS PERSONNEL OR COACHING STAFF OF
4     ASSOCIATIONS THAT CONDUCT YOUTH ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES ON PROPERTY
5     OWNED, LEASED, MANAGED, OR MAINTAINED BY THE STATE OR ANY OF ITS
6     POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS; AND DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
7     AND HUMAN SERVICES TO APPROVE COURSES THAT MEET THIS ANNUAL
8     TRAINING REQUIREMENT.
9 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
10SECTION 1. This act shall be known as "The Coach Safely Act."
11SECTION 2. Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new
12 Article to read:
13"Article 18A.
14"The Coach Safely Act for the Protection of Youth Athletes.
15 "§ 130A-443.10. Definitions.
16     The following definitions apply in this Article:
17(1)   Association. – An organization that sponsors or conducts high-risk youth
18athletic activities on property owned, leased, managed, or maintained by the
19State or any of its political subdivisions. The term includes a city, county,
20business, or nonprofit organization that organizes community-based youth
21athletic events on such property.
22(2)   Athletics personnel. – Athletic directors and other persons actively involved
23in organizing, training, or coaching athletic activities for youth who are 18
24years of age or younger.
25(3)   Coach or coaching staff. – Any person, whether paid, unpaid, volunteer, or
26interim, who has been approved by an association to organize, train, or
27supervise a youth athlete or team of youth athletes. The term includes any
28person who has not been approved by an association but has been selected by
29a youth athlete or a team of youth athletes to organize, train, or supervise the
30youth athlete or team of youth athletes when the person approved by an
31association is unavailable.
32(4)   Department. – The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of
33Public Health.
34(5)   Youth athlete. – A youth who is 18 years of age or younger and participates
35in an organized sport.
  *H602-v-3*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina  Session 2025
1 "§ 130A-443.12. Annual training requirement for athletics personnel and coaches.
2      (a)     Each association shall require any person who is actively engaged in or serving as
3 part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff to complete a youth sports injury education course
4 that has been approved by the Department under G.S. 130A-443.14. The association shall offer
5 the training required by this section free of charge to each person who is actively engaged in or
6 serving as part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff.
7      (b)     Each person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel
8 or coaching staff of an association is required to complete the youth sports injury education
9 course offered by the association pursuant to subsection (a) of this section within 30 days after
10 first becoming actively engaged in or serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or
11 coaching staff, and annually thereafter by the anniversary of the date on which the person became
12 actively engaged in or started serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or coaching
13 staff.
14      (c)     Each association that has athletics personnel or coaching staff who are required to
15 complete a youth sports injury education course in accordance with this section shall maintain
16 an individual record of course completion for each member of the association's athletics
17 personnel or coaching staff for as long as the person serves in that capacity.
18      (d)     The requirement to complete a youth sports injury education course established by
19 this section does not apply to any of the following persons who have completed training in
20 advanced trauma life support:
21(1)      Athletic trainers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
22(2)      Physicians licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
23(3)      Nurses licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
24(4)      Advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical responders,
25and emergency medical services-nurse practitioners, as these terms are
26defined in G.S. 131E-155.
27(5)      Other healthcare practitioners.
28 "§ 130A-443.14. Department approval of youth sports injury education courses; limitation.
29      The Department shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence-based, best
30 practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association, National Council of Youth
31 Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education that may be
32 used to fulfill the requirements of G.S. 130A-443.12. The Department shall not approve any
33 youth sports injury education course that omits any of the following topics:
34(1)      Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease
35the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged
36or participating in youth athletic activities.
37(2)      Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to
38traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities.
39(3)      Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques.
40(4)      Concussions and head trauma.
41(5)      Heat and extreme weather-related injuries.
42(6)      Physical conditioning and training equipment usage.
43(7)      Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death.
44 "§ 130A-443.16. Defense to claims of liability against athletics personnel and coaches.
45      A person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel or coaching
46 staff of an association shall not be liable in any action that arises from an injury sustained by a
47 youth athlete as a result of the youth athlete's participation in a youth athletic activity upon a
48 demonstration that the athletics personnel member or coach did both of the following:
49(1)      Completed the sports injury education course required by G.S. 130A-443.12.
50(2)      Reasonably conformed his or her conduct to the safety techniques and
51methods identified in the sports injury education course."
 Page 2  House Bill 602-Third Edition
 General Assembly Of North Carolina  Session 2025
1SECTION 3.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public
2 Health (Department), shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence-based, best
3 practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association, National Council of Youth
4 Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education by October
5 1, 2025. The Department shall not approve any youth sports injury education course that omits
6 any of the following topics:
7(1)    Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease
8the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged
9or participating in youth athletic activities.
10(2)    Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to
11traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities.
12(3)    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques.
13(4)    Concussions and head trauma.
14(5)    Heat and extreme weather-related injuries.
15(6)    Physical conditioning and training equipment usage.
16(7)    Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death.
17SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
18SECTION 4. Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective August 1,
19 2026, and applies to causes of action arising on or after that date.
 House Bill 602-Third Edition  Page 3