Texas Senate OKs high school steroids testing

[Guest Kelly Football]

Texas Senate OKs high school steroids testing

By JIM VERTUNO

Associated Press

TOOLS

Email  Get section feed 

Print  Subscribe NOW 

AUSTIN — Texas would have the largest high school steroids testing program in the country under a bill approved by the Senate today.

The program would test at least 22,000 public school athletes starting next fall. Students who test positive would have to sit out of competition for 30 days and repeat positive tests could lead to a permanent ban.

"I think this will make high school athletics safer," said Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, the sponsor of the measure. The bill passed 28-2 and now goes to the House.

The House is considering a similar measure, although the big difference between the two chambers is how to pay for it. The Senate would have the state bear the cost, which could be up to $4 million per year.

The House measure would require the University Interscholastic League, the state's governing body for high school sports, to assess a fee on sports tickets to pay for the tests.

Texas has about 733,000 athletes at about 1,300 public schools.

The proposed penalties for positive tests include:

— Refusal to take a test will be considered a positive test.

— A first positive test would bring a suspension of at least 30 days. A second would bring a one-year suspension, followed by the permanent ban for a third.

The bill does not include sanctions for schools whose athletes test positive.

The bill would also require middle school and high school coaches to complete a training program on the dangers of steroid use, which can include dramatic mood swings, heart disease and cancer.

A state study among 141,000 Texas students in grades 7-12 conducted by Texas A&M University found that steroid use fell from 2 percent in 2004 to 1.5 percent in 2006. Among 12th graders, it went down from 2.4 percent to 1.8 percent.

[Bigdog]

Good, maybe this will level the field.

[Vidorboy08]

That is very good

[12]

I wonder what the stats would be if they were broken down by gender and not by grade...

[warfan]

I'm good with the test.  It will probably save some lives.  However,  bet the school districts end up with an un-funded mandate,  and that will hurt the small school programs.

[mossimize#76]

heck i dont think our school could afford the test haha

[Jsmity]

Would they be testing for other things or just steroids??.. We get randoms from the NCAA and they test for everything... and any positive results in a fail.. what about positive cannabis results in the test?.. I know there will be alot of those if they actually test for it.. j/w what the punsihment would be for that kind of result..

[77]

I think most schools already have random drug testing with punishment already in place.

[Guest WBFan09]

I know for sure someone got caught selling them in BC

Wow and with Stump as the new head coach those kids best watch out!!!!

This testing will definitley level the playing field i think in the bigger schools it is less likely for kids to get caught such as SLC and places like that because it would take so long for every kid to get tested so i definitley like chances increasing for honest teams

[cards_mom]

All I can say is Thank God!  How many kids have fallen over dead from side effects of steroid use!  And I feel if an athlete has to do something like use this junk, then first and foremost, that athlete is a loser to begin with and doesn't want to put the long hours of hard work into getting built or bulked up.  How lazy and a cheat is that?  Get off your butt, work hard, if that does not work, work harder, but don't do it falsely.  And the one's that can't follow the rules, then in my opinion, there is no place in high school athletics for you.  But that is just my humble opinion!  I wish this test was required for anyone to even participate in athletics..................