I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4599 
To provide for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish 
grant programs to improve the health and positive youth development 
impacts of youth sports participation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2023 
Mr. ALLRED (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to establish grant programs to improve the health and 
positive youth development impacts of youth sports par-
ticipation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Physical activity, Liv-
ing healthy, Access, Youth development, and Safety in 
Youth Sports Act’’ or the ‘‘PLAYS in Youth Sports Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS. 
(a) ORGANIZATION GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a 
competitive grants program (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘Organization Grants Program’’) to award 
grants, in accordance with paragraph (3), to eligible 
national non-profit organizations to improve the 
health and positive youth development impacts of 
youth sports participation and to increase access to 
youth sports for all children and youth, especially 
underserved populations as defined by section 40002 
of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 
U.S.C. 12291), in accordance with paragraph (4). 
(2) ELIGIBLE NATIONAL NON-PROFIT ORGANI-
ZATION.—For purposes of this subsection, a national 
non-profit organization shall be eligible for a grant 
under this subsection if such organization— 
(A) has experience with working with re-
gional and local non-profit youth sports organi-
zations in the areas of improved health, positive 
youth development, and safe playing environ-
ments consistent with the types of activities de-
scribed in paragraph (5); 
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(B) submits to the Secretary a plan for 
awarding subgrants to regional and local non- 
profit youth sports organizations to improve 
physical activity or sports programs carried out 
in the areas served by such organizations to im-
prove the health of youth through, and have 
positive impacts on, youth sports participation; 
(C) can demonstrate a track record and 
plan 
for 
serving 
low-income 
and 
under- 
resourced communities, as well as providers of 
adaptive sports programming; and 
(D) can demonstrate policies and practices 
in place for ensuring background checks for 
staff and volunteers working with children and 
youth. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 
(A) AMOUNT
OF
GRANTS.—Each grant 
awarded under this subsection shall be no more 
than $2,500,000 for national organizations and 
no more than $250,000 for State and local or-
ganizations. 
(B) SELECTION OF GRANTEES THROUGH 
GRANT SELECTION BOARD.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one 
year after the date on which funds are first 
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appropriated to carry out this section, the 
Secretary shall establish a grant selection 
board to select the eligible national non- 
profit organizations to be awarded grants 
under this subsection. 
(ii) COMPOSITION.—Such board shall 
consist of 10 members to be selected from 
the Department of Health and Human 
Services, including from the following: 
(I) The Administration for Chil-
dren and Families (ACF), in par-
ticular the Family and Youth Services 
Bureau. 
(II) The Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health, in particular the 
Office of Adolescent Health and the 
President’s 
Council 
on 
Fitness, 
Sports, and Nutrition. 
(III) The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, in particular 
the Office of Noncommunicable Dis-
eases, 
Injury 
and 
Environment 
Health, and the National Center for 
Injury Prevention and Control. 
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(IV) The Center for Faith-Based 
and Neighborhood Partnerships. 
(V) The National Institutes of 
Health, in particular the National In-
stitute of Child Health and Human 
Development and the National Insti-
tute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal 
and Skin Diseases. 
(iii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting 
grantees under this subsection, the board 
under this subparagraph shall, with respect 
to a plan described in paragraph (2)(B) 
submitted by a national non-profit organi-
zation, evaluate the plan based on the abil-
ity of the plan to ensure that the grant will 
help improve the physical activity or sports 
program involved in at least one of the fol-
lowing areas: 
(I) Effectiveness, through activi-
ties described in paragraph (5)(B). 
(II) Participation, through activi-
ties described in paragraph (5)(C). 
(III) Health and Safety, through 
activities 
described 
in 
paragraph 
(5)(D). 
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(4) USES OF GRANTS.—A grant awarded under 
this subsection to an eligible non-profit organization 
may be used by such organization only for awarding 
subgrants in accordance with paragraph (5) and 
consistent with the plan submitted by the organiza-
tion under paragraph (2)(B). 
(5) USES OF SUBGRANTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.— 
(i) 
PERMISSIBLE
ACTIVITIES.—A 
subgrant awarded to a regional and local 
non-profit youth sports organization pursu-
ant to this subsection may be used by such 
organization for only the activities de-
scribed in the subsequent subparagraphs of 
this paragraph in accordance with the pro-
visions of the respective subparagraph. 
(ii) 
EXCLUDED
ACTIVITIES.—A 
subgrant awarded to a regional and local 
non-profit youth sports organization pursu-
ant to this subsection may not be used by 
such organization for any of the following: 
(I) Any activity the organization 
is in the process of conducting or 
planning to conduct as of the date of 
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application for a subgrant under this 
subsection. 
(II) Any activity primarily de-
signed to expand the organization 
among those portions of the commu-
nity that would otherwise participate 
in youth sports, rather than those ef-
forts aimed at a particularly under-
served participating portion of the 
community. 
(III) Efforts that are not likely 
to be continued after funding from 
the subgrant has expired. 
(iii) AMOUNT
OF
SUBGRANTS.—A 
subgrant under this subsection shall be not 
more than $10,000 and not less than 
$1,000. 
(B) ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE-
NESS OF YOUTH SPORTS.— 
(i) ACTIVITIES.—The activities de-
scribed in this subparagraph are activities 
that promote effectiveness of physical ac-
tivities or youth sports, including the fol-
lowing: 
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spect to planning and practice of youth 
sports, are guidelines to achieve the fol-
lowing: 
(I) Developing and refining the 
philosophy and style of such coaching. 
(II) Developing the character of 
the youth athletes through role-mod-
eling, teaching, and exhibiting appro-
priate citizenship behaviors. 
(III) Communicating effectively 
by role-modeling, teaching, and ex-
pecting honest and effective commu-
nication. 
(IV) Guiding athletes to develop 
self-confidence by modeling and teach-
ing self-confident attributes and be-
haviors and creating situations in 
which athletes experience success. 
(V) Teaching the sport involved 
effectively by teaching the rules, sys-
tems, and defined plays of the sport 
involved. 
(VI) Teaching technical and tac-
tical skills effectively by instructing 
athletes in the use of correct and safe 
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techniques and teaching how to proc-
ess game situations to gain a competi-
tive advantage. 
(VII) Teaching sport decision-
making skills effectively by modeling 
and teaching perception, attention, 
and concentration skills. 
(VIII) Challenging athletes in 
practice and competition by devel-
oping season and practice plans to 
create optimally challenging, safe, and 
effective practices and competitions. 
(IX) Physically preparing ath-
letes by modeling, teaching, and ex-
pecting appropriate physical training, 
nutrition, and drug-free habits. 
(X) Taking all measures feasible 
to ensure the safety of athletes by 
checking facilities and equipment (and 
how such equipment fits), monitoring 
athletes’ activities closely, and cor-
recting unsafe behavior immediately. 
(XI) Managing relationships ef-
fectively by modeling, teaching, and 
expecting positive interactions between 
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coaches, athletes, parents, administra-
tors, medical personnel, officials, and 
media. 
(XII) 
Supporting 
scholastic 
achievement by expecting commitment 
to academics and teaching the value 
of education. 
(C) ACTIVITIES RELATING TO PARTICIPA-
TION.—The activities described in this subpara-
graph are activities to lead to sustained in-
creases in participation in youth sports, includ-
ing the following: 
(i) Activities to lower barriers to par-
ticipation, such as by making it easier for 
youth with disabilities to participate, ac-
quiring or modifying space, raising money 
for an endowment to keep participation 
fees low or free, including through scholar-
ships. 
(ii) Activities to target populations 
under-represented in youth sports or par-
ticularly at-risk communities, such as girls 
and other under-represented minorities, 
populations in geographical areas with par-
ticular low participation rates, populations 
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with high obesity risk, populations in high 
crime and violence areas, homeless youth, 
youth with behavioral issues, youth with 
physical or mental disabilities. 
(iii) Activities for capacity building. 
(iv) Activities to engage parents and 
other family members to encourage life- 
long physical activity. 
(D) ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE SAFETY AND 
HEALTH.— 
(i) ACTIVITIES.—The activities de-
scribed in this subparagraph are activities 
to promote safety and health, including the 
following: 
(I) Background checks described 
in clause (ii)(I) and the establishment 
of procedures for such background 
checks in accordance with clause 
(ii)(II). 
(II) Abuse prevention and re-
sponse activities described in clause 
(iii). 
(III) Measures to implement pro-
gram improvements as broadly as pos-
sible within the organization receiving 
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the subgrant by providing resources 
for activities, such as administrative 
guidelines and materials, training op-
portunities, and codes of conduct. 
(IV) Training programs to ad-
dress the matters described in clause 
(iv). 
(V) Prevention efforts to prevent 
and reduce the occurrence of concus-
sions (through baseline screening, 
clear return to play and other post- 
concussion protocols, prevention ef-
forts, parent and participant edu-
cation) and of overuse and overload 
and injury risk. 
(VI) 
Practices 
to 
encourage 
water drinking, increased physical 
movement, nutritious snacks, and na-
tional healthy eating practices. 
(VII) Targeted programs for par-
ticular at-risk behavior or at-risk pop-
ulations, such as with respect to lat-
eral injuries in girls and for partici-
pants with physical and mental dis-
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abilities, such as Type 1 diabetes, eat-
ing disorders, and sickle cell trait. 
(VIII) Parent education. 
(IX) Parent code of conduct and 
instruction. 
(X) Athlete code of conduct and 
instruction. 
(XI) Bullying prevention. 
(XII) Safety procedures for en-
gagement of youth sports photog-
raphers. 
(XIII) Venue and event safety. 
(XIV) Participant comprehensive 
health history and pre-screening re-
cording, evaluation, and privacy secur-
ing, including in a standardized form 
or way that make it easy for partici-
pants to share their information with 
other organizations. 
(XV) Encouraging and facili-
tating participation in the Presidential 
Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) of 
participants. 
(ii) BACKGROUND CHECKS.— 
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(I) IN GENERAL.—For purposes 
of clause (i)(I), background checks de-
scribed in this clause— 
(aa) check for known of-
fenses and pending actions of 
abuse, harm, or violent behavior 
and molestation of youth by 
coaches, mentors, or other adults 
with access to youth sports par-
ticipants; 
(bb) screen employees, con-
tractors, and volunteer forces 
who have regular contact with 
youth participants, authority or 
supervision roles with respect to 
such youth, opportunity to estab-
lish a position of trust with re-
spect to such youth, or oppor-
tunity for one-on-one contact 
with such youth; 
(cc) should utilize advance-
ments in technology that make 
criminal 
history 
information 
available to these organizations; 
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(dd) must provide for reli-
able, rapid, comprehensive, up-to- 
date checks at a very reasonable 
cost so that the organizations can 
make informed screening deci-
sions; 
(ee) provide access to crimi-
nal background information that 
has been recently updated, and is 
dependable, 
complete, 
and 
accessed from national databases, 
county courts (county of resi-
dence) and all available State sex 
offender registries; and 
(ff) provide screenings that 
generally 
cover 
identity 
verification, using social security 
number validation and address 
trace report; National Criminal 
database search, updated regu-
larly with more than 300 million 
criminal records; the Office of 
Foreign Assets Control terrorist 
database search; Sex Offender 
Registry search of all available 
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States with at least one county 
search that generally covers long-
est and most recent residency in 
the past five years. 
(II) 
PROCEDURES.—For 
pur-
poses of clause (i)(I), the establish-
ment of procedures for conducting 
and reviewing background checks de-
scribed in subclause (I) shall identify 
who is responsible for conducting the 
checks, reviewing the criminal history 
records, determining fitness, notifying 
the volunteer or staff of the decision, 
managing legally compliant notices, 
and the dissemination, control, stor-
age, and destruction of information 
gained in the background check. 
(iii) ABUSE
PREVENTION
AND
RE-
SPONSE
ACTIVITIES.—For purposes of 
clause (i)(II), abuse prevention and re-
sponse activities described in this clause 
are the following: 
(I) The development and rein-
forcement of appropriate communica-
tion, training, and response protocols 
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for abuse and other inappropriate be-
havior. 
(II) Awareness, prevention, and 
response guidelines, including a pro-
tocol to immediately report potential 
criminal behavior on the part of any 
coach or official to the appropriate 
law enforcement agency. 
(III) Reference checking of vol-
unteers, 
including 
previous 
clubs, 
teams, or athletes with whom the indi-
vidual has worked. 
(IV) Questioning about the indi-
vidual’s behaviors and if anyone has 
reported any inappropriate behavior 
that might be of concern. 
(V) Work with insurance pro-
viders or other risk management ex-
perts to help maintain a safe environ-
ment. 
(iv) TRAINING PROGRAMS.—For pur-
poses of clause (i)(IV), the matters de-
scribed in this clause are the following: 
(I) 
First 
aid, 
CPR, 
and 
defibrillator. 
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(II) Mild traumatic brain injury 
or concussion. 
(III) Heat acclimatization and 
heat illness prevention. 
(IV) Human kinetics coaching 
education. 
(V) Risk management. 
(VI) Legal issues. 
(VII) Pre-participation Physical 
Evaluation (PPE). 
(VIII) Emergency planning. 
(IX) Training practices. 
(X) Strength and conditioning. 
(XI) Nutrition. 
(XII) Recognizing sports-related 
illnesses and injuries. 
(XIII) Prevention and care of 
concussions. 
(XIV) Equipment fitting. 
(XV) Safe playing conditions. 
(6) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this subsection $75,000,000; 
$15,000,000 for national organizations, $50,000,000 
for States, $5,000,000 for prevention and research, 
including no less than $5,000,000 for the Centers 
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for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out the 
grant program to national organizations and states 
and to manage an interagency committee. 
(b) STATE AND LOCAL GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services may establish a grant program 
under which the Secretary shall award one-time 
competitive grants to municipalities, counties, and 
States to fund efforts of such municipalities, coun-
ties, and States to establish and implement model 
standards, such as through surveys, studies, pilot 
programs, and guidelines, for out-of-school youth 
sports coaches. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A grantee under this 
subsection must agree to enact or improve imple-
mentation of standards that— 
(A) do not conflict or otherwise negatively 
interfere with standards that apply within the 
jurisdiction of such grantee; and 
(B) are aimed at improving effectiveness, 
participation, and health and safety of youth 
sports. 
(3) PERMITTED
ACTIVITIES.—A grant under 
this subsection may be used for activities including 
the following: 
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(A) Surveys. 
(B) Studies. 
(C) Pilot programs. 
(D) Development of guidelines and stand-
ards. 
(E) Education and outreach. 
(F) Implementation efforts. 
(4) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Grants under this 
subsection shall be awarded, with respect to model 
standards described in paragraph (1), based on the 
following criteria: 
(A) Number of coaches affected by such 
standards. 
(B) Degree with which activities and 
standards, as applicable, are easy and afford-
able to the organization or coach involved. 
(C) Comprehensiveness of such standards 
and the number of subjects covered effectively 
by such standards. 
(5) REPORTS.— 
(A) BY GRANTEES.—As a condition of re-
ceipt of a grant under this subsection, a grantee 
shall submit to the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services such information as specified 
by the Secretary, by such time as specified by 
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