Racehorse Health and Safety Act of 2023
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.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
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.
Board— The term Board means the board of directors of the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization established under section 101.
Breed registry— The term breed registry—
means the organization with which an owner or breeder officially registers his or her horse for horseracing; and
includes—
in the case of Thoroughbreds, the Jockey Club;
in the case of Standardbreds, the United States Trotting Association; and
in the case of Quarter Horses, the American Quarter Horse Association.
Covered horse— The term covered horse means any Thoroughbred, Standardbred, or Quarter Horse during the period—
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
ending on the earlier of—
the date on which the horse is permanently ineligible to be entered in a covered horserace; or
the date of the death of the horse.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interstate compact— The term interstate compact means the interstate compact entered into pursuant to this Act.
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).
Jockey; driver— The terms jockey and driver mean an individual who is a rider or driver of a covered horse in a covered horserace.
Member State— The term member State means a State that is a member of the interstate compact.
Owner; breeder— The terms owner and breeder mean an individual who—
holds an ownership interest in a covered horse; or
is in the business of breeding covered horses.
Racetrack— The term racetrack means an organization or person licensed by a State racing commission to conduct covered horseraces.
RHSO— The term RHSO means the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization established under section 101.
Scientific medication control committee— The term scientific medication control committee means a committee established under section 201.
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.
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.
Training facility— The term training facility means a location that—
is not a racetrack recognized and designated by the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization; and
operates primarily to house covered horses or to conduct official timed workouts or qualifying races.
Veterinarian— The term veterinarian means a licensed veterinarian who provides veterinary services to covered horses.
Workout— The term workout means—
a timed running of a horse over a predetermined distance not associated with a purse race; or
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
In general— The consent of Congress is given for States to enter into an interstate compact in accordance with this Act.
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:
Prohibition on interstate off-Track wagers among non-Member States—
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.
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).
Host State defined— In this subsection, the term host State means a State in which a horserace subject to an interstate wager takes place.