FTC approves 2026 HISA budget
The Federal Trade Commission has voted to approve the 2026 budget of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the national regulatory body that oversees racing and drug testing in most major U.S. states.
The approval, by a 2-0 vote, came three-and-a-half months into the 2026 budget year. HISA submitted the budget in September of 2025. Since that time, the federal government has been shut down on multiple occasions due to political impasses in Congress.
The budget sets spending at $78.4 million and anticipates revenues of $77.0 million, though both totals are offset by credits for work done by some racing commissions. Nearly all of HISA’s operating revenue comes from assessments on the racing industry.
In the commission order approving the budget, the FTC wrote in response to several comments critical of the level of HISA’s spending that it “recognizes the importance of avoiding undue burden on industry by ensuring that the Authority efficiently uses the fees it assesses on industry.”
However, the FTC pointed to several metrics provided by HISA on a reduction in fatal injuries and the establishment of several databases and programs that had moved the racing industry into the modern era. It also recognized a slight reduction in the overall 2026 budget.
“The Commission acknowledges that the Authority’s proposed budget represents a 4 percent reduction from 2025 and encourages the Authority to continue its efforts to reduce costs as much as is feasible,” the FTC wrote in its order.
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