Horseracing oversight shifts from federal to state-run private organization
H.R. 3378 — Racehorse Health and Safety Act of 2025 · Filed by Clay Higgins (R-LA) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced May 14, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill repeals the 2020 Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and replaces it with a new system where states voluntarily join an interstate compact to create the Racehorse Health and Safety Organization (RHSO). The RHSO would set uniform rules for medication control and racetrack safety across Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse racing, with breed-specific committees drafting rules and a 9-member board (dominated by the 5 largest racing states) approving them. States fund the system through breed-specific fees on racing participants, and the RHSO enforces rules through state racing commissions or directly.
Why we flagged it
The bill fundamentally reorganizes federal horseracing oversight from a centralized federal agency (HISA) to a state-compact-based private organization (RHSO), shifting governance authority and enforcement mechanisms while maintaining substantive safety and medication rules.
What the text implies
- Repeal of HISA removes federal enforcement authority; RHSO is a private interstate organization not subject to Federal Advisory Committee Act, reducing transparency and public participation compared to federal agency rulemaking.
- Non-member states can still conduct interstate off-track wagering on races in member states, creating a two-tier system where horses from non-compliant states may race under weaker rules if they enter member-state races.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
State racing commissions (gain enforcement authority and fee revenue); Breed registries (US Trotting Association, American Quarter Horse Association, Jockey Club gain comm; Racetracks in large racing states (benefit from board dominance by 5 largest states)