A bill to ban tackle football for Illinois children under the
age of 12 is likely dead.
House Bill 4341 would create the CTE Prevention Act, and prohibit kids under the
age of 12 from playing “tackle football offered by an organized youth sports
program.”
State Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, filed HB 4341 on Jan. 25 and picked up
eight co-sponsors. The bill passed out of the House Mental Health Committee
March 1 on a close 11-9 vote.
On April 18, Sente acknowledged the bill wouldn’t be called for a vote after
failing to attract necessary support.

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“Passing this bill is an extremely important goal
to me,” Sente said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I don’t plan
to call the bill for a vote this year but I’m going to keep it open
because every week there is new information.”
The bill was also called the “Dave Duerson Act” after a Chicago
Bears football player who committed suicide in 2011. After his
death, it was determined Duerson was suffering from chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
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