Council President To Celebrate Passage of Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act in Afternoon Press Conference

Council President To Celebrate Passage of Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act in Afternoon Press Conference

Legislation Requires Increased Training and Equipment For All Youth Coaches

BALTIMORE, MD (October 7, 2019) — Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott will host a press conference at 4:30pm outside of the Clarence “Du” Burns Council Chambers before the final vote on ​Bill 19-0337: The Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act. The press conference will feature Marty McNair, father of the late Jordan McNair, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and representatives of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, who all contributed to the legislation.

“All youth deserve the opportunity to participate in youth sports leagues. They also deserve to be safe while participating,” said Council President Scott. “If a medical emergency happens during a youth-related sports event, our coaches should be equipped with the proper training and equipment to respond as quickly as possible. This bill sets that standard.”

The legislation seeks to keep youth athletes in Baltimore safe by requiring safety training and equipment for all youth team officials that use Department of Recreation and Parks facilities. This bill was included in the Council President's Legislative and Policy Proposal.

“Keeping our student athletes safe with policy change and legislation implementation will support the Jordan McNair Foundation’s mission of awareness, education, and prevention of heat-related injuries,” said Marty McNair, who is the father of Jordan McNair for whom the bill is named. 

Introduced by the Council President in February, the Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act:

• Outlines six trainings that all coaches and team parents must complete to use the Department of Recreation and Parks’ facilities; 
• Requires coaches to have access to an ​automated external defibrillator (AED) in case a sports related health emergency happens. The research shows that on-site access to this equipment is a matter of life and death;
• Makes sure all coaches and team parents report cases of suspected child abuse. 

Members of the public can use the Council President’s Legislative and Policy Tracker to follow the policy process for this bill and other initiatives outlined in Council President Scott’s Legislative and Policy Agenda released in July 2019.

View the bill as drafted here.