(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) that would create measures to
deter the use of steroids and performance enhancing substances among high school
student-athletes in the state was approved Thursday by an Assembly
panel.
“Student-athletes who turn to
steroids to get an edge over the competition may not realize the serious risks
they are taking with their health,” said Vainieri Huttle. “Many see their
sporting heroes achieve impressive feats with the help of steroids and think it
is okay for them to do the same, not understanding how detrimental these drugs
can be to their physical and psychological health.”
The bill (A-2699) would implement the
recommendations of the December 2005 report of the Governor’s Task Force on
Steroid Use and Prevention. The bill would require the Department of Education
(DOE) and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) to
work jointly to develop and implement, by the 2015-2016 school year, a program
of random steroid testing of student-athletes. The bill would appropriate
$45,000 to the DOE to fund the testing.
“Young people are impressionable and
often engage in risky behavior, believing nothing can go wrong until something
does,” added Vainieri Huttle. “Random testing coupled with education is
essential if we really want to prevent the use of these dangerous drugs among
our student athletes.”
Under the bill, any person who
coaches a public school district or nonpublic school interscholastic sport,
dance, or cheerleading team must incorporate into the team’s training activities
a gender-specific program designed to reduce the use of steroids and performance
enhancing supplements, alcohol, and drugs, and to promote healthy nutrition and
exercise. The program must have a team-centered design that provides a
non-stigmatizing atmosphere and includes gender-specific content to address the
risk of substance abuse unique to male and female adolescents. The program
developed by the coach must be submitted to the athletic director of the school
district or nonpublic school for approval.
The bill also requires the NJSIAA to
develop and implement, by the 2015-2016 school year, a steroid and performance
enhancing supplement prevention information program for all public and nonpublic
high school coaches and athletic directors. The program would establish
procedures and protocols designed to: provide coaches and athletic directors
with information on the dangers of steroids and performance enhancing
supplements; identify the use of steroids and performance enhancing supplements
in student-athletes; and effectively incorporate healthy alternatives for
strength building into coaches’ training programs.
The bill also requires the NJSIAA to
provide anti-steroid and anti-performance enhancing supplement advertisements in
any brochure, pamphlet, handout, program, book, or other type of material
produced for sale or distribution at a tournament sanctioned by the association.
The association may use any existing materials produced by the Partnership for a
Drug Free New Jersey. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education is charged
with ensuring that information and materials about preventing steroid use are
available on the Department of Education’s website.
Lastly, the bill establishes the
third week in September as “Steroid Awareness Week” in New Jersey and requires
school districts to observe this week by organizing activities to raise
awareness of the hazards of using steroids and performance enhancing
supplements.
The bill was released by the Assembly
Education Committee.
