STRONG Act

This Act may be cited as the Support accurate and Thorough data collection and Recognition of Our Nation’s Growing number of strength and conditioning coaches Act or the STRONG Act.
Congress finds the following:
Strength and conditioning coaches work with athletes, law enforcement, first responders, members of the United States military, and other physically active individuals to improve physical performance and minimize the risk of injury. Strength and conditioning coaches apply unique training and skills in the following ways:
Assess, motivate, educate, and train athletes to improve sport performance.
Conduct general physical and sport-specific testing sessions.
Design and implement safe and effective strength training and conditioning programs.
Provide guidance for athletes and other active individuals in physical preparation and injury prevention.
Through the support of strength and conditioning coaches, athletes, law enforcement, first responders, and members of the United States military are less likely to experience serious injuries and are able to recover more quickly from injuries.
Strength and conditioning coaches have a specific combination of education, experience, and certification that is unique to strength and conditioning coaches and differs from other occupations, including—
for all college and university, professional sports teams, and United States government positions, a nationally accredited certification;
standards of a minimum of 300 hours supervised internship or field experience;
abiding by a professional code of ethics that is specific to strength and conditioning coaches; and
the earning of a bachelor’s degree.
The Standard Occupational Classification system is designed and maintained solely for statistical purposes, and is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers and jobs into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, analyzing, or disseminating data.
Occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification system are classified based on work performed and, in some cases, on the skills, education, or training needed to perform the work.
Establishing a discrete occupational category for strength and conditioning coaches will—
correct an inaccurate representation in the Standard Occupational Classification system;
recognize these professionals for the specialized work they perform with athletes, law enforcement, first responders, and members of the United States military, which is different than the work of an athletic trainer or physical therapist; and
better align the Standard Occupational Classification system with related classification systems.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall, as part of the first revision of the Standard Occupational Classification system occurring after the date of enactment of this Act, consider revising the Standard Occupational Classification system to establish a separate code for strength and conditioning coaches as a detailed occupation within the group Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations.
If, after carrying out section 3, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget decides not to establish a separate code for strength and conditioning coaches in the Standard Occupational Classification system, the Director shall, not later than 30 days after the first revision of the Standard Occupational Classification system occurring after the date of enactment of this Act, submit a report to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate explaining the decision to not establish such a separate code.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.