HR3378-119

What This Bill Does

The Racehorse Health and Safety Act replaces the existing federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act with a state compact model. It repeals HISA, gives congressional consent for states to enter an interstate compact, and conditions interstate off-track and advance deposit wagering signals on whether the host state is a compact member. Member states must establish the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization, governed by a nine-member board appointed through state racing commissions, with five seats tied to the five member states with the most racing days and four seats appointed by the remaining member states. State racing commissions may enforce RHSO rules themselves or enter memoranda of understanding for RHSO enforcement, and member-state law is preempted on matters within RHSO jurisdiction. Member states must also treat certain sales of horses with undisclosed bisphosphonates or other long-term degrading substances as unfair or deceptive acts. The bill requires breed-specific scientific medication control committees for Standardbred, Quarter Horse, and Thoroughbred racing; breed-specific medication rules addressing pharmacological effects, testing, laboratory accreditation, therapeutic thresholds, and breed performance models; a Racetrack Safety Committee with industry, breed-registry, horsemen, superintendent, and racing-commission representation; safety rules for training, racing, track surfaces, injury reporting, accreditation, recordkeeping, and inspections; prohibited acts covering nontherapeutic substances, excessive therapeutic substances, sample refusal, trafficking, possession, manufacturing, tampering, and rule evasion; a disciplinary system with investigations, charging, adjudication, sanctions, appeals, referrals, burden-of-proof rules, and removal of noncompliant member states; and administrative sanctions such as lifetime bans, purse disgorgement, fines, and changes to race order of finish.

Who Benefits and How

State racing commissions benefit because the bill shifts authority from the federal HISA framework to a compact and state-led RHSO structure. Covered horses benefit from medication-control and racetrack-safety rules tailored to Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse performance models. Bettors benefit from rules intended to make covered races fair, transparent, and safer. Breed registries benefit from formal roles in racetrack safety committee appointments and breed-specific rule design. Horse buyers benefit from required unfair-or-deceptive treatment when sellers hide bisphosphonate or similar long-term soundness risks.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Covered horse trainers must comply with breed-specific medication, testing, sample collection, safety, recordkeeping, and disciplinary rules. Horse owners must follow RHSO rules and face sanctions such as purse disgorgement, fines, lifetime bans, or order-of-finish changes for violations. Nonmember host states lose the ability to transmit interstate off-track or advance deposit wagering signals for covered races. The existing HISA authority loses its statutory basis because the bill repeals the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020. RHSO Board members and committees must draft rules, coordinate states, manage enforcement processes, and update sanctions.

Key Provisions

• Repeals the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020.
• Authorizes states to enter an interstate compact and links interstate wagering signal authority to compact membership.
• Creates the state-led RHSO Board and gives state racing commissions enforcement or memorandum-of-understanding options.
• Requires breed-specific scientific medication control committees and racetrack safety rules for covered races.
• Prohibits drug, sample, trafficking, tampering, and rule-evasion conduct and authorizes investigations, hearings, sanctions, and referrals.
• Provides effective dates based on enactment, compact formation by at least two states, and later rule implementation stages.