Bill filed for random steroid tests for Texas athletes

3/7/07

Texas public high school athletes would face mandatory random steroid tests in order to play sports under a bill to be filed Wednesday in the Senate.

According to details in a draft summary of the bill, the testing program would select 30 percent of the approximately 1,300 public schools with athletic teams and test 3 percent of the athletes on those campuses.

Athletes must agree to participate in the program before they are allowed to play and must submit to testing if selected.

The bill to be sponsored by Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, would require the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for Texas public school sports, to draw up the rules for the testing program. The UIL would also decide what the punishment for a positive test and any appeals process might be.

Testing must be done by a certified lab. Like drug testing in college and professional levels, a urine sample collected would be split in two. If a test on the first sample came back positive, the second sample would be tested to confirm the result.

Several details were unclear, such as how campuses would be selected and whether the testing would be season-long or done only during the postseason.

The program wouldn't be the first of its kind -- New Jersey started a limited testing program last fall -- but it would likely be the largest.

Texas had 733,026 students participate in public school sports during the 2005-06 school year, more than any other state.

The New Jersey program only tests athletes who qualify for state championships. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said earlier this year he envisions a much broader program in Texas.

Steroid testing has drawn support from Don Hooton, who became an activist after his son Taylor committed suicide at the age of 17. Doctors said they believe Taylor Hooton became depressed after he stopped using steroids.

"It's going to provide a meaningful deterrent for these kids," Hooton said, adding that testing should be conducted year round.

Punishment should include forcing athletes to sit out games if they test positive, Hooton said.

"Many of these kids are star players," Hooton said. Texas lawmakers considered a testing program in 2005 but it failed when local school districts balked at the costs. Estimates for steroid tests range as high as $200 per test.

Dewhurst has said he'd like to have the state pay for the tests, but it wasn't immediately clear Tuesday if that was in the bill.

The bill also would require all middle school and high school coaches to complete a training program on the dangers of steroid use.