Tonko Horseracing Safety Bill passes in House
WASHINGTON » Congressman Paul D. Tonko’s (D-Amstredam) bipartisan national horse racing reform bill, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill has long been co-led by Congressman Andy Barr (RKent.) and would designate the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to design and implement uniform national horse racing medication and racetrack safety standards.
“After nearly six years working to advance this bipartisan legislation to modernize horseracing in the United States, we are at long last rounding the final turn,” Congressman Tonko said.
“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. I thank my longtime collaborator and friend, Congressman Barr, for leading with me in this effort to restore integrity to this sport of kings.
“I urge my colleagues in the
Senate to advance their companion legislation without delay and deliver it swiftly to the President to sign into law.”
“With today’s HISA passage in the House, we continue our momentum and move one step closer toward historic reform for the horse racing industry,” Barr said. “This legislation, developed through a highly deliberative and bipartisan process, will ensure the safety of our equine athletes and increase the popularity, public confidence, and international competitiveness of the sport.
“I want to thank myHouse colleagues for supporting this legislation which will usher in a new era for this great Kentucky, and great American, industry.”
The bill approved by the House
today also has companion Senate legislation introduced recently by U. S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (RKent.) and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), and Dianne Feinstein (D- Calif.).
“NYRA has long supported a national approach to medication control and anti- doping across the sport of horse racing,” New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) President and CEO Dave O’Rourke said. “The safety and welfare of the athletes competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority, which is why NYRA supports the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and urges quick consideration by Congress.”