H.R. 1754 — The Horse Racing Integrity Act

Racehorse in red hood. Image source: The Horse magazine online.

UPDATE: The Horse Fund opposes H.R. 1754. Read why here »

On March 24, 2019, Rep. Paul Tonka (D-NY-20) introduced The Horse Racing Integrity Act, H.R. 1754.

The goal of the bill is:

To improve the integrity and safety of horseracing by requiring a uniform anti-doping and medication control program to be developed and enforced by an independent Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority.

The summary of H.R. 1754 states:

This bill establishes the Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority as an independent, private non-profit corporation with responsibility for developing and administering an anti-doping and medication control program for (1) Thoroughbred, Quarter, and Standardbred horses that participate in horse races; and (2) the personnel engaged in the care, training, or racing of such horses.

The Federal Trade Commission shall have oversight over the authority. An interstate compact may be established after five years to take over the authority’s duties.

The bill takes into its consideration the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Standardbred racehorse.

FOX AND HEN HOUSE

H.R. 1754 is a very lengthy bill. Admittedly we have not fully analyzed it. But our legal team and chief lobbyist have read it. So has Mrs Farrell.

They all arrived at the following point independently — it has a “fox watching the hen house” vibe going on.

Look at the last two lines of the summary regarding oversight. “An interstate compact may be established after five years to take over the authority’s duties”. What do you make of that?

OUR STANCE

Neutral. We neither support or oppose this bill.

In answer to the two most asked questions we get, here’s our answers.

“Isn’t it better than nothing”? Possibly.

“Isn’t it better than what we got now?” Almost anything is.

STATUS

H.R. 1754 has 120 cosponsors, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.