At its monthly meeting on April 13, the Texas Racing Commission chose not to charge a fee on behalf of the Equestrian Integrity and Safety Authority. The state has been assessed a fee of $371,377 by HISA, which plans to begin federal regulation and oversight of the horse racing industry on July 1.
Fees fall on covered racetracks when state regulators fail to remit the cost to the federal agency.
In a letter dated April 14 and published by TRC on social media, Amy Cook, the regulator’s chief executive officer, wrote to Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, explaining that they believe a required payment is an invalid attempt to circumvent Texas law.
“The Texas Racing Act contains no statutory provision that authorizes the Texas Racing Commission to become the federal government agency that collects and pays fees to create uniform national standards for horses in just a few months,” she wrote. ‘insured horse races'”.
TRC’s actions follow those of the Maryland Racing Commission, which unanimously voted April 5 not to collect and submit annual reviews.
Texas has been a battleground for several industry groups against HISA, which was adopted to create uniform competition and safety standards for Thoroughbred races.
TRC participated in requests in federal court in Texas to prevent HISA from continuing to operate, but those claims were dismissed on March 31 by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
