Texas House passes bill requiring random steroids testing for athletes
The Texas House has passed a bill requiring random steroids testing for high school athletes. The bill goes to Governor Rick Perry, who has not publicly stated any opposition. It requires the state to pay for testing, rather than force schools to raise ticket prices to cover the cost as was proposed earlier this session. The University Interscholastic League, the state's governing body for public school sports, will run the program. According to state Senator Kyle Janek, budget planners set aside $3 million per year, and the program requires a "statistically significant sample." Athletes who test positive, or refuse to be tested, could be suspended from play. The UIL has flexibility to set rules and penalties. The Texas High School Coaches Association, the Texas Medical Association, and groups representing public school districts and administrators supported a testing program. The bill would require coaches to complete a training program on the dangers of using steroids, which can cause dramatic mood swings, heart disease, and cancer. About 130 of the state’s 1,300 public high schools already test for steroids. "I think it's more prevalent in some areas than in others, but it's definitely something that needs to be addressed," says Daryl Wade, the Houston Independent School District's athletic director.
Houston Chronicle
By Sam Khan Jr.
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[Editor’s Note: For background, see below.]
[NSBA School Law pages on school steroid testing proposal]