Congress dismantles federal horseracing oversight, returns control to states
S. 1770 — Racehorse Health and Safety Act of 2025 · Filed by Tom Cotton (R-AR) · 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 state-based system. It creates a Racehorse Health and Safety Organization (RHSO) governed by state racing commissions, establishes breed-specific committees to set medication and racetrack safety rules, and gives states the option to enforce these rules or delegate to the RHSO. The bill shifts regulatory authority from a federal model to an interstate compact structure, allowing states to opt in and control horseracing standards within their borders.
Why we flagged it
The bill dismantles centralized federal oversight (HISA 2020) and replaces it with a voluntary interstate compact model where states control enforcement and non-member states face only limited restrictions on interstate wagering. This is functionally a devolution of regulatory authority to state racing commissions and breed registries, reducing uniform national standards.
What the text implies
- Non-member states can conduct interstate off-track wagers on races in member states, creating a two-tier system where compliance is optional and enforcement gaps may emerge.
- State racing commissions may elect NOT to enforce RHSO rules, delegating to RHSO only if they choose—this creates enforcement discretion and potential inconsistency across states.
- Breed registries (Jockey Club, US Trotting Association, American Quarter Horse Association) gain direct appointment power over scientific medication control committees, concentrating private-sector influence over rule-setting.
- The RHSO is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act, reducing transparency requirements for a quasi-governmental body setting national horseracing standards.
- Funding is assessed on a breed-specific basis by state racing commissions, creating incentive for states to minimize costs by weakening enforcement or opting out of the compact entirely.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill preserves horse safety and medication control standards through breed-specific scientific committees and racetrack safety rules, which benefits horses and public confidence in racing integrity. However, it decentralizes federal oversight to a state-based system where enforcement is optional and weaker states may opt out entirely, potentially creating regulatory gaps and allowing non-member states to conduct interstate wagering without compliance, undermining uniform protections.
Who stands to gain
- State racing commissions (reduced federal oversight, retained enforcement discretion)
- Breed registries (Jockey Club, US Trotting Association, American Quarter Horse Association)
- Racetracks in non-member states (ability to conduct interstate wagering without compliance)
- Equine industry representatives (appointment power on committees)
Named in the bill
Racehorse Health and Safety Organization (RHSO), State racing commissions, Jockey Club, US Trotting Association, American Quarter Horse Association, National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, Harness Racing Medication Collaborative, Association of Racing Commissioners International, National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance, Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020
Where it stands
- May 14, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- May 14, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
2 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $100,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 5 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.
Tom Cotton, the sponsor, reported $1,292,206 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- United States Trotting Association (usta) — $60,000 on 2 filings
- National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (hbpa) — $40,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 14, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (44,623 characters) on Jul 25, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 14, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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