High School Steroid Testing Plan Wins Senate Committee Approval

March 28, 2007

A major high school steroids testing program won approval from a key Senate panel Wednesday, moving Texas public school athletes a step closer to mandatory tests as early as next fall.

The bill by Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, and strongly supported by Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was approved by the Senate Education Committee. It's next step would be a vote by the full Senate.

Janek's bill would create the largest high school testing program in the country. Supporters envision randomly testing a minimum of 22,000 students each year.

I'm convinced that mandatory, random testing for illegal steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in our public schools will deter young people from using these awful poisons,'' Dewhurst said.