House passes Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that would allow the racing industry to form a national regulatory board that would issue medication and safety rules for racetracks across the United States.

The legislation, which was passed on a voice vote with no opposition, according to supporters, is expected to pass in the Senate later this year due to its recent introduction by Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful Senate majority leader. The House bill was recently passed out of a committee on an amendment that made the bill identical to the one introduced by McConnell in the Senate.

Under the bill, the racing industry would create a nonprofit private agency that would approve medication and safety rules. The agency would be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. The medication and drug-testing policies enacted by the board would be enforced by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a private, nonprofit company that performs a similar role for the U.S. Olympic team and the UFC martial-arts fighting league.

:: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act raises host of questions

A large number of racing constituencies worked throughout the spring and summer this year in order to gain consensus on the bill, which differed in significant ways from legislation that has been introduced separately over the previous five years. However, several racing organizations remain opposed to the legislation, which does not include a budget for the new agency or its efforts and relies on a yet-to-be-determined funding mechanism.

The House bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Paul Tonko of New York and Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky.

“Today’s historic passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act by the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelmingly favorable bipartisan vote reflects broad industry support for anti-doping and medication control as well as racetrack safety,” said Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, whose board recently voted to support the legislation.