New Federal Medication Bill Introduced

A week after New York congressman Paul Tonko introduced federal legislation to establish uniform drug and medication standards in Thoroughbred racing, three other representatives introduced similar legislation Thursday. Representatives Joe Pitts (R-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2015 to regulate/prohibit substances, drugs, medications, and treatments that may be used in racing, according to a release from the American Horse Council. Like Tonko's bill, the legislation designates the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), giving the private agency the authority to permit/prohibit the drugs and medications that may be administered to a horse in a race subject to an interstate off-track wager and set the withdrawal period for its administration. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, on which Pitts, Schakowsky and Eshoo sit.