High school sports

Perry signs UIL steroid-testing law

Gov. Rick Perry on Friday signed a bill into law that will bring mandatory random steroid testing to Texas public high school athletes beginning this fall.

Legislative budget planners have set aside $3 million, which will allow the University Interscholastic League to test between 20,000 to 25,000 of the state's estimated 740,000 student-athletes. Those tested will come from a randomly selected pool of 30 percent of the state's 1,246 public high schools, making Texas' steroid-testing program the largest in the nation.

"I would like to applaud Gov. Perry for standing up for the health and safety of Texas' high school athletes," said Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, who authored the steroid-testing legislation. "This will help ensure that athletics do not end up becoming a destructive force to the youth of Texas."

On Monday, the UIL's legislative council ruled that if an athlete tests positive for steroids, he or she will serve a 30-day suspension from sports. A second failed test would result in a one-year ban, and a third positive test would result in the athlete's permanent ban from competition.

A positive test, however, would have to be confirmed through a subsequent test.

The UIL penalties are the same as those suggested by the Senate in its original plan, before the bill was amended to give the UIL the authority to determine penalties.

Monday, the UIL also ruled that first- or second-time offenders would have to provide a negative test — at the student's expense — before he or she could be reinstated in high school athletics, but all tests will be kept confidential between the athlete's family and school administrators.

A steroid test can cost between $110 and $190, according to the UIL.

"This is something people have been calling for, and we've never been opposed," said UIL athletic director Charles Breithaupt. "We just needed the funding."

The UIL is searching for labs to perform the testing, but the Kansas City, Mo.-based National Center for Drug Free Sport — which handles testing for the NCAA and high school sports in New Jersey — is one of the favorites to land the contract, among many certified companies that have shown interest, Breithaupt said.

"The most critical thing for us now is the bidding process," said Breithaupt, who expects the UIL to arrange a contract by mid-July. "A lot of testing companies would love to do this. But part of the bidding process will be that these companies need to know that the collection process is going to be a challenge. When we say 30 percent, that's Class 1A through 5A. Every school needs to know there's a potential that they will be tested."

Last year, New Jersey became the first state to test high school athletes for steroids, but the athletes were tested on a smaller scale and only during championship events. No positive tests were discovered among the 150 samples taken last fall, according to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Florida has adopted a one-year testing program that will begin this fall, but only for high school athletes participating in football, baseball and weightlifting.

"Steroid testing is good because it levels out the playing field," said Trevor Marrongelli, a rising senior and standout offensive lineman for Westwood High School. "For someone to be able to take steroids and catch up, it isn't fair to those who are working hard."

The steroid-testing legislation received overwhelming support from Texas legislators, passing 27-3 in the Senate and 140-4 in the House.

In Texas, 127 public high schools already test for steroids, according to the UIL. Only two Central Texas school districts — Georgetown and Fredericksburg — currently test for steroids, and since they began testing two years ago, no students in either school district have tested positive, district superintendents have said.

A study released by Texas A&M University found that steroid use among Texas high school athletes between seventh and 12th grade decreased from 2 percent in 2004 to 1.5 percent in 2006. Steroid-testing proponents have said they hope the new law will cause use to drop even more.

"Kids tend to make decisions based on if they get caught or not," Georgetown baseball coach Danny Wallace said. Steroid testing "can be a positive peer-pressure thing, with kids having something to lose — their ability to play sports."

jtrotter@statesman.com; 445-3952