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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 7, 2022 10:36 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Martin T. Causer |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Cosponsor - Horse Racing Regulations |
| When the Race Horse Industry Reform Law was codified into the Agriculture Code in 2016, the State Horse Racing Commission was given three years to issue temporary regulations, and three more years after publication of the temporary regulations to fully promulgate permanent regulations. Temporary regulations were published in October of 2019 and they are set to expire in October of 2022. Permanent regulations have not yet been promulgated under the Regulatory Review Act. I am planning to introduce legislation which will extend the expiration of the existing temporary regulations by three years and give the State Horse Racing Commission the authority to issue temporary regulations to comply with (pending) provisions required under a new federal law. In 2020, Congress passed the Federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (“HISA”), establishing national safety and medication standards for the thoroughbred horse racing industry. The Act establishes the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (“Authority”) as a private self-regulatory non-governmental organization with limited regulatory oversight by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Since being enacted, the Authority has been developing national rules for horse racing, including anti-doping, medication and drug detection and racetrack safety rules. Pennsylvania will have to adopt or incorporate these rules. Presently, the FTC is in the process of reviewing the Authority’s proposed “racetrack safety” regulations (part one) and they are expected to be finalized in July. Racing jurisdictions throughout the country have been informed that the Authority’s anti-doping and medication regulations (part two) are still being developed and will likely be proposed later this year or next year. The Authority’s regulations may likely contain instances of more stringent standards which the PA State Horse Racing Commission will need to formally adopt and incorporate into its regulations. My legislation will ensure that the existing temporary regulations will remain effective until the new federal requirements are known and can be incorporated into permanent horse racing regulations for Pennsylvania. Please consider cosponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2520