USADA oversight bill reintroduced in U.S. House

Two federal legislators have reintroduced a bill that would appoint a non-profit private company as the overseer of horse racing’s medication rules and their enforcement, according to the legislators.

The bill, which has been introduced in several prior legislative sessions but has not come up for a vote, would designate the United States Anti-Doping Agency, a private company that has contracts with the U.S. Olympics and the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed-martial arts league, as the principal overseer of horse racing’s medication policies and drug-testing programs. The bill was reintroduced by its chief sponsors, Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from upstate New York, and Rep. Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican.

While the bill is supported by a number of horse racing organizations, other racing constituencies have opposed the bill in the past. Supporters have contended that the legislation would align all racing jurisdictions under the same set of medication rules, but opponents have resisted other aspects of the bill, which includes a race-day prohibition on the use of the diuretic furosemide, which is currently legal to administer in every U.S. racing jurisdiction to mitigate bleeding in the lungs.

Past hearings to consider the bill have underscored the lack of unanimity within the racing industry over the legislation and resistance from some members of Congress to approve legislation that takes regulatory power away from states. The bill is being reintroduced at a time when the racing industry is under intense scrutiny due to a recent spate of horse deaths at Santa Anita that led to the track closing for racing until March 22.