House is expected to approve racing bill next week

Congress is poised to move the federal government one step closer to the oversight of racing next week. That is when the House is expected to pass the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which has widespread industry support and some noteworthy critics.

The HISA is one of 27 bills that will be expedited to a floor vote Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. EDT, according to a schedule posted Friday night by both Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). This kind of vote is the next step for legislation that has such widespread, bipartisan support that debate rules are suspended while a two-thirds majority is required for rapid passage.

After receiving 46-5 approval by the Energy and Commerce Committee, the HISA would most notably create a private agency to regulate racehorse medication, phase out the use of Lasix and other race-day drugs and bring the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency into the enforcement process. It also proposes to set up minimum standards for racetrack safety. The private agency would report to the Federal Trade Commission.

Introduced more than two years ago by Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.), the bill got a shot of momentum late last month when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threw his support behind it. With two Democrats and another Republican as co-sponsors, McConnell introduced a companion version of the bill in the Senate, which is expected to act on it next month.

McConnell and Congressional colleagues who are pushing the bill have boasted of nearly unanimous support from the racing industry, including the Jockey Club, the Breeders’ Cup, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, racetrack owners and even animal-rights advocates.

But the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association said that the Lasix regulations are misguided and that the USADA may not be qualified to judge medication for horses. The U.S. Trotting Association went so far as to enlist a law firm to declare parts of the bill unconstitutional, a claim that the Jockey Club quickly refuted.

If all goes according to plan, the HISA will be one of dozens of bills that land on President Trump’s desk for his signature before election day. It would then take effect Jan. 1, 2022.