U.S. House Approves Horseracing Integrity Act

The United States House of Representatives on Sept. 29, 2020, approved the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act by voice vote with no opposition.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) or H.R. 1754 aims to prevent horse racing fatalities by creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), which would be a private and independent organization responsible for implementing anti-doping and racetrack safety protocols. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would enforce the drug control program. HISA would establish anti-doping regulations, penalties for violations and racetrack safety rules.

“After nearly 6 years working to advance this bipartisan legislation to modernize horseracing in the United States, we are at long last rounding the final turn,” says Rep. Paul Tonko, a New York Democrat who introduced the bill with Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr. “Our Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act puts the health and well-being of our equine athletes and jockeys firmly at the center of the sport, and delivers commonsense medication and track safety standards that will lift this noble sport to higher standards of integrity and safety. These long overdue reforms will help restore public trust in the sport and put it on a path to a long and vital future, supporting countless jobs and driving economic activity in communities across our nation.”

The bill goes to the Senate where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has introduced identical legislation. The legislation is a response from federal lawmakers after a series of doping scandals…