As expected after passage by the US House of Representatives and Senate, President Joe Biden on December 29 signed into law a $1.7 trillion aggregate spending bill, among many. The bill’s section contains legal clarification regarding the Equestrian Integrity and Safety Authority and the statute that authorizes it. Additionally, the bill, known as HR 2617, “Consolidated Allocations Act, 2023,” calls for consolidated allocations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023 and provides defense assistance. Urgent for Ukraine.
HISA was created to implement uniform, national rules in Thoroughbred racing. The first of two HISA programs, the Track Safety Program, went into effect in July of this year. It was HISA’s second program, the Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program, that was halted. The ADMC program was originally scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2023, but its implementation, even if HR 2617 is adopted, is delayed.
Two years after it was first signed into federal law by President Donald Trump in 2020, HISA was found unconstitutional on November 18 by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. private entity, not part of the Federal Trade Commission. Immediately following the ruling, the FTC issued an order rejecting the proposed Anti-Doping and Drug Control rule submitted by HISA.
With the newly added HISA clarification language, the entity provides additional powers to the Federal Trade Commission to “repeal, add to, and modify the Agency’s rules.”
