Legislative Issues

Click on the links below for a summary of a particular issue. Following each summary is a link to download a complete version of the source document, provided by The American Horse Council.

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American Horse Council Documents

Issue	Description
Quarantine	USDA Proposal on Quarantine Stations
Economic Stimulus	History of 2002 Economic Stimulus Bill
Disaster Assistance	MRLS assistance
Racing Overview	Overview/Economic Impact
Internet Gambling	Analysis of H.R. 556 and 2579
HR 4954	HR 4954 Internet Gambling Bill, 9/30/06
HR 4954 Explanation	HR 4954 Explanatory Statement 9/30/06
West Nile Virus	Background/Vaccination Info
HR 2622/3781	“Anti-slaughter” Bill

Medication Documents

Issue	Description
Foreign Substances Guidelines	Recommended Penalties and Model Rule
Prohibited Practices	April 14, 2002 Designation
Model Rules Map	RMTC Model Rules Map
RMTC Model Rules Vet	RMTC Model Rules, Chapter 11, Veterinary

Alternative Gaming Legislation

Oklahoma Gaming Bill (PDF Format)

Minnesota Gaming (RTF Format)

PA Legislation (PDF Format)

Issue	Description
Interstate Horseracing Act (PDF)	Chapter 57 – Interstate Horseracing
Chart of Track TakeOuts Base on Wager Type (PDF)	Track Tackeout
National HBPA’s Position on BRASS HAT (PDF)	Formal Position of the Full Board of Directors
Long Range Disaster Planning (PDF)	Emergency Plans for Horses
Resolution on Diligence in Contracting for Simulcasting and Advance Deposit Wagering Companies (PDF)	Resolution on Diligence in Contracting for Simulcasting and Advance Deposit Wagering Companies
KHBPA Memo in Opposition to TRO	KHBPA Memo in Opposition to TRO
Failure to Disclose Exclusivity	Failure to Disclose Exclusivity

USDA Proposed Rules on Permanent Private Quarantine Stations

Introduction

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the long-awaited proposal to amend the regulations regarding the importation of horses to establish standards for the approval of permanent, privately-owned quarantine facilities for the permanent importation of horses. The American Horse Council has been seeking this rule proposal for some time. USDA has asked for public comment on the specifics of the proposal. The comment period ends August 30, 2002.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Economic Stimulus

Introduction

Congress wrestled all fall with a tax package intended to stimulate the economy in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11. While the Republican-controlled House passed its version of the stimulus package several times, it hit a roadblock in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Finally, on March 8, Congress passed a scaled-back version of the ambitious tax bill originally proposed by both the Republicans and Democrats. The final package was crafted to include the necessary level of tax cuts, small business tax breaks and unemployment benefits needed for passage in both the House and Senate.

Although the horse industry supported the broader Republican version of the stimulus bill passed last December by the House, the final package signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2002 includes new depreciation provisions that will benefit the horse industry.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Disaster Assistance

Introduction

Because of last summer’s financial loss to horse owners and breeders due to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, Congress has been examining the issue of broader disaster assistance for horse owners.

Background

In the past, horse owners have had to face a natural disaster alone. If a horse operation suffered a loss due to a natural disaster, that horse owner was not eligible for assistance from the Farm Service Agency. However, if that operation had cattle, swine, poultry or other traditional livestock, they would have been eligible to collect payments on those animals.

There is no reason why horse owners should not be eligible for federal assistance like producers of other crops and livestock affected by an emergency or disaster.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Racing Overview

Background

Pari-mutuel horse racing, which includes off-track, inter-track and account wagering, is legal in 43 states and involves the racing of Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, Quarter Horses, and Arabians. There are over 175 racetracks in the U.S.

Racing and racehorse breeding is a highly diverse industry that exists in all regions of the country. It is an industry that includes gambling, sport, recreation and entertainment and is built upon an agricultural base that involves the breeding and training of horses. It combines the fundamentally rural activities of breeding, maintaining and training horses with the more urban activities of operating racetracks and off-track wagering facilities.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act

Background

Some opponents of Internet gambling believe that the most effective way to prevent it is to prohibit the use of credit to fund it. In past Congresses bills have been introduced to do this. Like all the legislation dealing with Internet wagering, the bills defined the Internet so broadly that they would have prohibited the use of any interactive computer, such as racing’s totalisator machines, the telephone and any device using the Internet. “Credit” was also broadly defined and would have include any financial transaction, except the exchange of cash.

Because these bills did not make a distinction between legal, state-regulated wagering and illegal wagering, they posed a serious threat to the racing industry.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

West Nile Virus

Introduction

West Nile virus (WNV) is a vector-borne virus that was recognized in the Western Hemisphere for the first time in 1999. Mosquitoes circulate the virus among wild birds. Occasionally, the virus is introduced into other vertebrate populations, such as humans or horses, that serve as incidental hosts. Incidental hosts are infected animals that do not pass the virus on to vectors (mosquitos, in this case). This disease has had a devastating effect on the equine community.

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Federal Ban on Slaughtering Horses for Human Consumption

Introduction

There have been two bills introduced in the United States House of Representatives that would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption: H.R. 2622, sponsored by Representative Tom Reynolds (R-NY), and H.R. 3781, sponsored by Congresswoman Connie Morella (R-MD).

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances

Introduction

“The Uniform Classification Guidelines printed on the following pages are intended to assist stewards, hearing officers and racing commissioners in evaluating the seriousness of alleged violations of medication and prohibited substance rules in racing jurisdictions. Practicing equine veterinarians, state veterinarians, and equine pharmacologists are available and should be consulted to explain the pharmacological effects of the drugs listed in each class prior to any decisions with respect to penalities to be imposed. The ranking of drugs is based on their pharmacology, their ability to influence the outcome of a race, whether or not they have legitimate therapeutic uses in the racing horse, or other evidence that they may be used improperly. These classes of drugs are intended only as guidelines and should be employed only to assist persons adjudicating facts and opinions in understanding the seriousness of the alleged offenses. The facts of each case are always different and there may be mitigating circumstances which should always be considered. These drug classifications will be reviewed frequently and new drugs will be added when appropriate.”

Click here to download the entire document in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Drug Classification Change Notice – New Prohibited Practice Designation

Please be advised that the RCI Board of Directors on April 14, 2002 approved the recommendation(s) of its Drug Testing Standards and Practices (DTSP) Committee to establish a new category known as “Prohibited Practices.”

A) The possession and/or use of a drug, substance or medication, specified below, on the premises of a facility under the jurisdiction of the regulatory body for which a recognized analytical method has not been developed to detect and confirm the administration of such substance; or the use of which may endanger the health and welfare of the horse or endanger the safety of the rider or driver; or the use of which may adversely affect the integrity of racing:

Erythropoietin
Darbepoietin

The possession and/or use of a drug, substance, or medication on the premises of a facility under the jurisdiction of the regulatory body that has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States.

Legislative Issues

American Horse Council Documents

Medication Documents

Alternative Gaming Legislation

Other Important Documents