80th Legislature: Bill Would Facilitate Random Steroid Testing For Athletes

State Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van) has prefiled HB 346 which would alter Section 33.091 of the Texas Education Code to essentially facilitate random steriod testing in Texas public schools.

Previously, this section of the law simply provided that the University Interscholastic League had to adopt rules prohibiting students from participating in athletic competitions unless the athlete agreed not to use steroids and the student’s parents signed a statement including several acknowledgements.

Flynn’s bill would change the code to add that students, in addition to promising not to use steroids, students must submit to random steroid testing:

The league shall adopt rules prohibiting a student from participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by the league unless:
(1) the student agrees not to use steroids and submits to random testing for the presence of illegal steroids in the student’s body, in accordance with the program established under Subsection (d)…

You can bet there will be a fight over this legislation. Not only will groups like the ACLU weigh in against it, but I’d be willing to bet that, regardless of lip service paid to the issue, more than a few high school coaches across the state won’t be too happy about this. After all, coaches already have to worry about losing players to narcotics and bad grades. Add steroids to that and there may be some problems.

On the other hand, I have a suspicion that steroid use among Texas high school athletes is less widespread than drinking or recreational drug use. I haven’t seen any statistics on that but would be interested in looking at some.

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