Lawmakers in Kentucky have advanced a bill that would give high school officials more power and responsibility to address possible concussions in athletes. The bill, which the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) opposes, would allow officials to overrule a coach and remove a player from a game if they feel a medical evaluation has not happened.

Chad Collins, the KHSAA's general counsel, told lawmakers he worries the bill would put referees in a position of "getting closer to practicing medicine or diagnosing."

Collins noted referees can already remove athletes from games to receive a medical evaluation. And if the student returns to the game still showing symptoms of a concussion, the referee can send them to the sidelines for a second evaluation.

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But some lawmakers worried adding another tier would also add someone else people can sue. And they feared coaches would try to use the law to their advantage, intimidating referees into throwing out the best players on an opposing team.

"I think it puts a lot of added pressure on that official," said Republican state Rep. David Hale of Wellington, who voted against the bill. "Coaches will try to intimidate officials."

Most states have some law dealing with concussions in youth sports leagues, according to a 2014 review by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The laws include requiring coaches and officials receive training on concussion symptoms and requiring a physician sign off before a student can return to a game.