Democrats and Republicans were sharply divided Monday on an Iowa Senate bill that would require the home team at high school varsity collision sports to provide a licensed athletic trainer or other expert to assess concussions and other injuries.

Senate Study Bill 3044 was approved on an 8-6 party line vote by the Iowa Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for debate.

The measure was favored by Democrats who said Iowa schools can’t afford to ignore growing national worries about the long-term impacts of concussions on the brains of football players and other athletes. Republicans were sympathetic, but they said they oppose unfunded mandates for school districts.

The legislation would require home teams to provide either an athletic trainer, a physician or a physical therapist at varsity sporting events that include football, wrestling and boys’ and girls’ soccer.

Sen. Tod Bowman, D-Maquoketa, a former high school wrestling coach, spoke in favor of the bill, saying he estimated the cost for compliance at $2,000 to $5,000 annually. He noted that both the Iowa House and Senate are proposing to increase overall state funding for schools, and he suggested school officials could use a small portion of the money to cover any additional costs.

“This can be a lifetime disability,” Bowman warned. “We are not covering every practice, but this is a step in the right direction where the most vulnerability occurs.”

Schools could seek hardship exemptions if they were unable to find a qualified person to assess injuries at varsity events, Bowman said. In addition, the bill was amended to permit sporting events to proceed without a person to assess injuries if unforeseen problems occurred.

About half of Iowa’s schools now provide some coverage from athletic trainers or other experts at sports events, with the costs commonly covered from a school’s general fund or with help from a school booster club, Bowman said.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, spoke in opposition, although he said he fully understood the issue because one of his sons sustained three concussions during a football career at Dowling Catholic High School and the University of Iowa.

“I love what you are trying to accomplish, but these unfunded mandates are my biggest concern about the bill,” Zaun said.

Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, who is a former high school football coach, questioned why the bill only covered varsity games.

“I think the kids are at risk during practice because a lot of them are competing for jobs. They will hit just as hard at practice as during games,” Kraayenbrink said.

Bowman responded that suffering a concussion during a practice is significantly different than having a concussion during the competitive aspects of a varsity game.

“I have seen grown boys crying trying to get back in a game. I have never seen a boy cry trying to get back into practice,” Bowman said.

Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, contended that if lawmakers do nothing, risk insurance for Iowa school districts will inevitably increase.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said it was important to keep the bill moving forward.

“When I was in high school we didn’t understand how dangerous concussions can be. If you are concerned about unfunded mandates, well, let’s fund them,” Quirmbach said.