Who is taking care of your student athlete?

Current Legislation –

The CATA is excited to report that AB 796 authored by Dr. Akilah Weber (Senator, District 79) passed and went into action January 2025. This gave athletic trainers title protection. The CATA is excited to work with a physician and state legislator who understands the benefit of Licensing Athletic Trainers. Read the bill below

Safety is not a game

Athletic Trainers specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses relating to human movement and activity. Their education also makes them a specialist in emergency care for catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries, sudden cardiac arrest, heat illness and concussions.

California is currently the only state that does not regulate the profession of athletic training. There is no legally defined scope of practice describing what an athletic trainer may or may not do. This causes several issues:

• There are currently people working in this state without proper training and calling themselves an athletic trainer. The young athletes in their care and their parents have no idea that they aren’t properly trained.

• There is no mechanism for the public to file a complaint against an athletic trainer and have it investigated.

• Individuals who have lost their license or certification in another state, can come to California and work as an athletic trainer. 

CATA supported legislation passed into Law:

AB 2127 (2014) Interscholastic Sports: Gradual Return to Play following concussions 

AB 2007 (2016) Youth Sports Concussion Information Bill

AB 2006 (2018) Interscholastic Sports: Written Venue Specific Emergency Action Plans

AB 379 (2019) Youth Sports: concussion and sudden cardiac arrest prevention protocols 

AB 856 (2021) Pupil Health: Covid019 Return to Activity Guidelines

What can you do?

Visit the California Athletic Trainers’ Association website for updated Licensure efforts and how you can help. You can also report a complaint or violation, and verify ATC certification.