Bill
SB 1070
Requires annual ECG screening for student athletes to best detect heart conditions before participation.
Status: Committee substitute(s) adopted; effective date provided in bill — July 1, 2025. (Multiple committee substitutes and a House amendment modified implementation timelines and details; summary reflects the bill’s substantive provisions as revised in committee/house documents.)
Purpose
- Require electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) screening as part of preparticipation medical evaluations for students in interscholastic athletic competition to improve early detection of cardiac conditions that can cause sudden cardiac death.
Key provisions
- Name: The act may be cited as the “Second Chance Act.”
- EKG requirement: Adds an EKG, “when applicable,” to the annual medical evaluation required for participation in interscholastic athletics (public and private schools).
- Phased implementation / timeline (as amended):
- Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) must identify which students must receive an EKG.
- The FHSAA must adopt bylaws that establish a schedule such that, by the 2028–2029 school year, every student participating in or seeking to participate in interscholastic athletics will have received at least one EKG prior to participation. (A later House amendment advanced the requirement for grades 9–12 to 2026–2027 and allows an EKG done up to two years earlier to satisfy the requirement.)
- FHSAA duties:
- Identify students who must be screened and adopt criteria (via its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee) for screenings in 2029–2030 and thereafter.
- Include timing and repeat-screening timelines in bylaws.
- Develop a standardized preparticipation form (to capture practitioner info, referrals, EKG results, medical clearances or recommended follow-up).
- Create a standard exemption form for medical and religious exceptions.
- Adopt bylaws prohibiting participation by students with abnormal ECG results until they submit written medical clearance from a qualified clinician (per House amendment).
- Exemptions and documentation:
- Medical exemption permitted by written statement from a physician (physician attestation/medical opinion requirements specified).
- Religious exemption allowed if parent provides specified legal documentation; the FHSAA-standardized, notarized parent form must be submitted prior to participation.
- Cost and school-district responsibilities (House amendment/fiscal notes):
- Each school district must pursue public/private partnerships to provide low‑cost EKGs.
- Students may be exempted if the district cannot secure partnerships offering EKGs at a cost below a specified threshold (e.g., <$50 per student, as cited under s.1006.165(3), F.S.).
- Liability: The required EKG and the exemption process are added to existing limitations on liability provisions; the bill includes requirements for attorneys preparing releases of liability.
Who is affected
- Student athletes (public, private, charter, virtual schools that participate in interscholastic athletics), their parents/guardians, school districts, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), physicians and other licensed practitioners, cardiologists for follow-up care, and the healthcare system (due to increased screening and potential follow-up diagnostic referrals).
Potential impacts and considerations
- Public health: May increase detection of conditions associated with sudden cardiac death (EKG can detect many, but not all, at‑risk conditions).
- Clinical/false-positive burden: Screening may produce false positives requiring specialist follow-up, increasing demand on cardiology services.
- Cost and access: Implementation costs (EKGs, follow-up diagnostics) and district capacity to secure low-cost screening partnerships are central; the bill provides an exemption mechanism if districts cannot secure affordable screening.
- Participation: Religious and medical exemptions preserved; students with abnormal results must obtain medical clearance before participating.
- Administrative: FHSAA will need to develop detailed protocols, forms, and criteria; school districts will need to coordinate partnerships and manage compliance.
Effective date
- July 1, 2025 (per bill text). Timeline for screening roll‑out is phased by school year as described above.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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