[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3378 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3378
To protect the health and welfare of covered horses and improve the
integrity and safety of horseracing by authorizing States to enter into
an interstate compact to develop and enforce scientific medication
control rules and racetrack safety rules that are uniform for each
equine breed, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 14, 2025
Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, and
Mr. Cole) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To protect the health and welfare of covered horses and improve the
integrity and safety of horseracing by authorizing States to enter into
an interstate compact to develop and enforce scientific medication
control rules and racetrack safety rules that are uniform for each
equine breed, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Racehorse Health
and Safety Act of 2025''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Repeal of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020.
Sec. 4. Authorization to enter into interstate compact.
TITLE I--RACEHORSE HEALTH AND SAFETY ORGANIZATION
Sec. 101. Racehorse Health and Safety Organization.
Sec. 102. Role of States and State racing commissions.
Sec. 103. Exemption from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
TITLE II--HORSERACING SCIENTIFIC MEDICATION CONTROL
Sec. 201. Scientific medication control committees.
Sec. 202. Horseracing scientific medication control rules.
TITLE III--RACETRACK SAFETY
Sec. 301. Definition of Committee.
Sec. 302. Racetrack Safety Committee.
Sec. 303. Racetrack safety rules.
TITLE IV--RULE VIOLATIONS
Sec. 401. Prohibited acts.
Sec. 402. Results management and disciplinary process.
Sec. 403. Administrative sanctions.
TITLE V--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 501. Effective dates.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advance deposit wager.--The term ``advance deposit
wager'' means a legal form of parimutuel wager in which an
individual deposits money into an account and such funds are
used to pay for parimutuel wagers made either on-track or off-
track.
(2) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the board of directors
of the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization established
under section 101.
(3) Breed registry.--The term ``breed registry''--
(A) means the organization with which an owner or
breeder officially registers his or her horse for
horseracing; and
(B) includes--
(i) in the case of Thoroughbreds, the
Jockey Club;
(ii) in the case of Standardbreds, the
United States Trotting Association; and
(iii) in the case of Quarter Horses, the
American Quarter Horse Association.
(4) Covered horse.--The term ``covered horse'' means any
Thoroughbred, Standardbred, or Quarter Horse during the
period--
(A) beginning on the date of the horse's first
timed and reported workout at a racetrack that
participates in covered horseraces or at a training
facility; and
(B) ending on the earlier of--
(i) the date on which the horse is
permanently ineligible to be entered in a
covered horserace; or
(ii) the date of the death of the horse.
(5) Covered horserace.--The term ``covered horserace''
means any horserace involving covered horses that has a
substantial relation to interstate commerce, including any
horserace that is the subject of interstate off-track wagers or
advance deposit wagers.
(6) Covered person.--The term ``covered person'' means any
trainer, owner, breeder, jockey, driver, racetrack,
veterinarian, person (as defined in section 1, of title 1,
United States Code) licensed by a State racing commission, any
agent, assign, or employee of such a person, and any other
horse support personnel engaged in the care, training, or
racing of covered horses.
(7) Equine industry representative.--The term ``equine
industry representative'' means an organization representing
the interests of, and whose membership consists in whole or in
part of, owners, breeders, trainers, racetracks, veterinarians,
State racing commissions, jockeys, and drivers.
(8) Immediate family member.--The term ``immediate family
member'' includes a spouse, domestic partner, mother, father,
aunt, uncle, sibling, child, or member of the same household.
(9) Interstate compact.--The term ``interstate compact''
means the interstate compact entered into pursuant to this Act.
(10) Interstate off-track wager.--The term ``interstate
off-track wager'' has the meaning given such term in section 3
of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3002).
(11) Jockey; driver.--The terms ``jockey'' and ``driver''
mean an individual who is a rider or driver of a covered horse
in a covered horserace.
(12) Member state.--The term ``member State'' means a State
that is a member of the interstate compact.
(13) Owner; breeder.--The terms ``owner'' and ``breeder''
mean an individual who--
(A) holds an ownership interest in a covered horse;
or
(B) is in the business of breeding covered horses.
(14) Racetrack.--The term ``racetrack'' means an
organization or person licensed by a State racing commission to
conduct covered horseraces.
(15) RHSO.--The term ``RHSO'' means the Racehorse Health
and Safety Organization established under section 101.
(16) Scientific medication control committee.--The term
``scientific medication control committee'' means a committee
established under section 201.
(17) State racing commission.--The term ``State racing
commission'' means an entity designated by State law or
regulation that has jurisdiction over the conduct of
horseracing within the applicable State.
(18) Trainer.--The term ``trainer'' means an individual
that is engaged in the training of covered horses and is the
recipient of direct or indirect compensation or anything of
value for such services or expertise.
(19) Training facility.--The term ``training facility''
means a location that--
(A) is not a racetrack recognized and designated by
the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization; and
(B) operates primarily to house covered horses or
to conduct official timed workouts or qualifying races.
(20) Veterinarian.--The term ``veterinarian'' means a
licensed veterinarian who provides veterinary services to
covered horses.
(21) Workout.--The term ``workout'' means--
(A) a timed running of a horse over a predetermined
distance not associated with a purse race; or
(B) the competing of a horse in a harness
qualifying race.
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF THE HORSERACING INTEGRITY AND SAFETY ACT OF 2020.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 3051 et
seq.) is repealed.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO INTERSTATE COMPACT.
(a) In General.--The consent of Congress is given for States to
enter into an interstate compact in accordance with this Act.
(b) Consent of States.--A State may demonstrate consent to enter
into the interstate compact through the enactment of a State law that
contains a provision indicating such consent that is substantially
similar to the following:
``The State of _________ hereby consents to and enters into the
interstate compact established in accordance with the Racehorse Health
and Safety Act of 2025.''.
(c) Prohibition on Interstate Off-Track Wagers Among Non-Member
States.--
(1) In general.--Subject to, and in accordance with, the
Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), a
host State that is a member State of the interstate compact may
allow the interstate transmission of any electronic signal for
the purposes of allowing for the placement of interstate off-
track wagers or advance deposit wagers pertaining to the
covered horserace concerned.
(2) Exception.--A host State that is not a member State of
the interstate compact is prohibited from allowing interstate
transmission of any electronic signal for the purposes
described in paragraph (1).
(3) Host state defined.--In this subsection, the term
``host State'' means a State in which a horserace subject to an
interstate wager takes place.
TITLE I--RACEHORSE HEALTH AND SAFETY ORGANIZATION
SEC. 101. RACEHORSE HEALTH AND SAFETY ORGANIZATION.
(a) In General.--States that are members of the interstate compact
shall--
(1) establish and participate in an organization, to be
known as the ``Racehorse Health and Safety Organization'' or
the ``RHSO'', to coordinate the decision making and actions of
the State racing commission of each member State; and
(2) develop bylaws and rules governing the RHSO, including
rules establishing the RHSO as an agency for purposes of
subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code.
(b) Board of Directors.--
(1) In general.--The RHSO shall be governed by a board of
directors composed of 9 members, of whom--
(A) 5 shall be appointed by the State racing
commission of each of the 5 member States that had the
greatest number of racing days during the preceding 3-
year period, with each such State racing commission
appointing 1 member; and
(B) 4 shall be appointed by the State racing
commissions of the remaining member States.
(2) Membership.--
(A) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Board
shall be elected annually by majority vote from among
the members of the Board.
(B) Term.--
(i) In general.--Except as provided in
clauses (ii) and (iii), the term of a member of
the Board shall not exceed 3 years. No member
shall serve more than 3 full terms.
(ii) Initial appointment.--For purposes of
staggering terms of appointment, the initial
members appointed by the State racing
commissions in the 5 member States that had the
greatest number of racing days during the prior
3-year period shall serve an initial term of 4
years.
(iii) Expansion in case of fewer than 9
member states.--If, as of the date described in
section 502(a), fewer than 9 States have
entered the interstate compact, the Board shall
add a new member as each new State enters the
interstate compact, up to a maximum of 9
members.
(iv) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Board
shall be filled in the same manner as the
position was appointed immediately prior to the
vacancy. An individual appointed to fill a
vacancy occurring before the expiration of the
term for which the predecessor of that
individual was appointed shall be appointed for
the remainder of that term. When the term of
office of a member ends, the member may
continue to serve until a successor is
appointed.
(C) Conflicts of interest.--
(i) In general.--Each member of the Board
shall--
(I) before accepting appointment as
a Board member, disclose any potential
conflict of interest;
(II) notify the full Board
immediately upon engaging in any
activity that the RHSO determines may
be perceived as a conflict of interest;
and
(III) not less frequently than
annually, certify in writing the
information referred to in subclauses
(I) and (II) and disclose any potential
or perceived conflicts of interest.
(ii) Recusal required.--A member of the
Board shall recuse himself or herself from
discussion of any item before the Board if such
discussion--
(I) relates to the direct financial
interest of the member of the Board or
an immediate family member of the
member of the Board; and
(II) does not apply to all covered
horses within a breed.
(D) Removal and ethics.--The Board may remove by
majority vote a member of the Board or the chairperson
of the Board for--
(i) neglect of duty, unethical behavior, or
malfeasance in office (including conduct
determined by the Board to be injurious to the
integrity of horseracing, such as contract
violations or perjury); or
(ii) conviction of a violation of a Federal
or State civil or criminal law related to
horseracing.
(E) Quorum.--In order to consider at a meeting any
item requiring the approval of the Board, the Board
shall have in attendance at such a meeting (either in
person or remotely) a majority of members of the Board.
(c) Duties of the Board.--The duties of Board shall be--
(1)(A) to adopt rules with respect to scientific medication
control recommended by each scientific medication control
committee under section 202; or
(B) to modify, or not adopt rules so recommended or adopt
alternative rules if the Board determines, by a preponderance
of evidence, that such recommendations do not meet the
requirements specified in paragraph (4);
(2)(A) to adopt rules with respect to racetrack safety
recommended by the Racetrack Safety Committee under section
303; or
(B) to modify, or not adopt rules so recommended or adopt
alternative rules if the Board determines, by a preponderance
of evidence, that such recommendations do not meet the
requirements specified in paragraph (4);
(3) to adopt rules with respect to rule violations, as
described in sections 401, 402, and 403;
(4) to ensure that any rule adopted under paragraph (1),
(2), or (3) is based on generally accepted scientific
principles and methods, and to the extent possible, on peer-
reviewed scientific data and studies;
(5) to hold open meetings with respect to proposed rules
recommended under sections 202 and 303, at which the
chairperson of the scientific medication control committee
concerned or the chairperson of the Racetrack Safety Committee,
as applicable, or the representative of such chairperson, shall
present such proposed rules;
(6) not later than 45 days before any such meeting is to be
held--
(A) to post on the internet website of the RHSO any
proposed rule described in paragraph (1) or (2) (or
modifications to such rules) under consideration at
such meeting; and
(B) to submit to each State racing commission (and
to any other individual upon request) notification of
such meeting;
(7) to adopt any rule under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) by
a vote of not less than a two-thirds majority of the Board,
determine the effective date of any such rule, and update any
such rule in accordance with the process established under
paragraphs (5) and (6);
(8) after notice and an opportunity for public comment, in
consultation with the State racing commissions, to develop and
maintain a nationwide database of racehorse safety,
performance, health, and injury information for the purpose of
conducting an epidemiological study;
(9) in carrying out paragraph (8), to require covered
persons and equine industry representatives to collect and
submit for inclusion in such database such information as the
RHSO considers necessary to further the goal of increased horse
welfare;
(10) with respect to covered persons--
(A) subject to section 102, to issue subpoenas and
investigate rule violations; and
(B) to refer to the appropriate State racing
commission any such violation for enforcement action
unless the State racing commission concerned agrees to
give that enforcement authority to the RHSO;
(11) in consultation with member States, to develop uniform
standards for veterinarian's and steward's lists and uniform
procedures for en