NTRA: 'Contrary To HBPA's Hyperbole, HISA Is Neither Unprecedented Nor Unconstitutional' - Horse Racing News paulickreport.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from paulickreport.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Horsetalk.co.nz
Share
Crucial measures in the just-passed omnibus spending bill have been signed into law by the US president, with racing to get a gold standard anti-doping program. Photo by Kayla Farmer
And then it was done. For years, animal advocates and a core group of lawmakers have pushed for crucial reforms to provide additional protections for horses in the United States.
In the bold flourish of a Sharpie by the US president, the reforms passed days earlier by the US House and Senate were signed into law.
The main headlines around the bill just signed by President Donald Trump have focused on its provision of billions in much-needed Covid relief, but the massive 5000-page legislative behemoth is cause for much celebration among horse welfare advocates.
AP
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., speaks to his supporters at his victory celebration in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
By: Web Staff
and last updated 2020-12-28 13:58:12-05
WASHINGTON (LEX 18) â The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act championed by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Sen. Mitch McConnell was signed into law Monday by President Donald Trump, Barr s office announced in a release.
The reform was passed after six years of working its way through Congress and was led to passage by McConnell in the Senate, Barr said.
âThis legislation is the most significant reform to Kentuckyâs signature industry in over four decades, providing a uniform standard of competition as well as protection for equine athletes to ensure the industry thrives for generations to come, Barr said.
Racing reforms are on their way across the United States after Congress passed the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act as part of a massive spending bill, which included $US900 million in Covid relief.
The racing legislation, backed by several important industry bodies and widely supported by lawmakers, will require national, uniform safety standards that include anti-doping and medication control, as well as racetrack safety programs.
The fractured nature of anti-doping and track safety efforts across the country’s 38 racing jurisdictions has long been the subject of criticism.
Supporters of the bill argued that the patchwork of regulations undermined the public’s confidence in horseracing, threatened the integrity of competition, and, in the view of advocacy groups, endangered the human and equine athletes.
Sponsored by:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with Rep. Andy Barr (left) and Breeders Cup president Drew Fleming unveil Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act at Keeneland news conference in September
The following was issued by the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) led the Senate Monday night in passing the
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was included in the year-end government funding bill. The legislation now goes to President Trump s desk to become law. Senator McConnell introduced the bipartisan legislation in September, only days after the 146
th Kentucky Derby, to recognize a uniform, national standard for Thoroughbred racing.