Congress may pass steroid bill by Thanksgiving

[Balta1701]

I think Major League Baseball and its union right now should be sitting around saying "oh s***". Their time is quite literally up. McCain softened the penalties in his steroid testing bill to a 1/2 season ban for the 1st offense, full season 2nd offense, lifetime for 3rd, but it looks like the Congress may very well have the bill passed by the end of this month.

 

Link

 

Aiming for a Senate vote on steroid legislation this week, lawmakers eased the proposed penalties Tuesday, calling for a half-season suspension the first time an athlete tests positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

 

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., contains a one-season ban for a second steroid offense and a lifetime ban for a third. It would apply to Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL and baseball's minor leagues.

 

Several bills that would standardize steroid rules across U.S. professional sports have been proposed in the House and Senate in recent months. Most -- including the original version of the Senate measure -- were based on the Olympic model: a two-year suspension for a first drug offense, a lifetime ban for a second.

 

During a series of congressional hearings and in private meetings with lawmakers, the leagues and their players' unions objected to those penalties as too harsh. They also say they should continue to set their own drug-testing rules and penalties through collective bargaining.

 

"I think, seriously, that they are under the opinion that we will not act," said Bunning, a former player elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. "We tried to explain to them that we are going to act because of their failure to do so, and I don't think it's sunk in."

 

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has signed on as a co-sponsor, and Bunning said he expected it to pass as soon as late Tuesday or Wednesday. Bunning planned to meet with House leaders and sponsors of similar bills in that chamber.

 

Under current rules, a first failed drug test draws a 10-day ban in Major League Baseball (roughly 1/16th of a season), a 10-game ban in the NBA (about an eighth of a season), a four-game ban in the NFL (a quarter of a season), and a 20-game ban in the NHL (about a quarter of a season).

 

The House has three versions of steroid legislation. One introduced by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., calls for a half-season ban for a first offense.

 

"That we can agree on the penalties is very important," Stearns said in a telephone interview. "It's good news for trying to pass a steroid bill."

[Rowand44]

Those penalties would be perfect imo.

[southsider2k5]

Interesting to see that as big as Congress was talking, they can't even close the deal. They retreated big time on all of the penalties. If they are going to bow under to baseball like this, they might as well just let baseball and the other sports deal with it themselves and STFU.

[Balta1701]

Interesting to see that as big as Congress was talking, they can't even close the deal.  They retreated big time on all of the penalties.  If they are going to bow under to baseball like this, they might as well just let baseball and the other sports deal with it themselves and STFU.

I don't know that they're "Bowing under to baseball" as much as bowing under to some of their own ranks who probably don't even want to vote on that sort of bill.

[YASNY]

I think the purpose of this legisation was to force baseball's hand to implement the proposal the Selig put on the table. If you notice, this bill proposes similar but slightly elevated punishments by comparison. If baseball does enact it's own policy, as proposed, then I think this bill will just fade away.