The lead congressional sponsors of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Representatives Andy Barr (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), have filed a 14-page amicus ('friend of the court') brief in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and some of its affiliates, challenging its constitutionality.
The brief lays out the reasons why HISA is necessary to protect and preserve the future of horse racing, deliberations in Congress over the course of several years that included input from all sectors of the horse racing industry–which resulted in broad, bipartisan support for the bill–and the reasons why HISA is, in fact, constitutional. HISA was signed into law by President Trump in December 2020.
“The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) commends Sen. McConnell, Rep. Barr and Rep. Tonko for their forceful defense of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020,” said NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop. “The need for a national body to enforce stringent integrity and safety standards for Thoroughbred racing has never been greater. Organizations and individuals representing virtually every segment of our industry are committed to working cooperatively with the HISA Authority and its standing advisory committees to assist the Authority in carrying out its federal mandate to propose to the Federal Trade Commission for that agency's adoption an innovative, affordable federal regulatory system that prioritizes first and foremost the safety of horse and rider and the integrity of our sport.”
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