I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2641 
To improve the integrity and safety of interstate horseracing, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 3, 2015 
Mr. PITTS (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Ms. ESHOO) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To improve the integrity and safety of interstate horseracing, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Horseracing Integrity 
and Safety Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
prohibits the adulteration or misbranding of any 
food, drug, or device in interstate commerce. 
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(2) The manufacture, delivery, and use of cer-
tain performance enhancing drugs in horseracing 
can constitute violations of the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act. 
(3) According to a Food and Drug Administra-
tion Import Alert titled ‘‘Animal Drug Imported For 
Use By Racetrack Veterinarians’’, the Food and 
Drug Administration routinely receives complaints 
from State racetrack authorities about the illegal use 
of clenbuterol, detomidine hydrochloride, glucosa-
minoglycan polysulfuric acid ester, hyaluronic acid, 
and isoxsuprine hydrochloride. 
(4) Currently, nearly every horse participating 
in interstate horseracing is injected shortly before 
racing with furosemide, a drug that is approved by 
the Food and Drug Administration for use in horses 
only for the treatment of edema. 
(5) Congress enacted the Interstate Horse-
racing Act of 1978 to regulate interstate commerce 
with respect to parimutuel wagering on horseracing 
in order to further the horseracing industry of the 
United States. 
(6) The use of performance-enhancing drugs in 
horseracing is widespread in the United States, 
where no uniform regulations exist with respect to 
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the use of, and testing for, performance-enhancing 
drugs in interstate horseracing. 
(7) A 2012 New York Times investigation 
found that, on average, every week 24 horses die 
racing, a high equine fatality rate likely caused by 
the misuse of permitted medication and abuse of ille-
gal drugs. 
(8) A 2013 horseracing industry study found 
that a large majority of parimutuel wagering partici-
pants avoid wagering at certain tracks and when 
certain trainers compete because they assume illegal 
drug use affects race results. 
(9) Total parimutuel wagering on Thorough-
bred horseracing in the United States declined 30 
percent from 2002 to 2014. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) INTERSTATE
OFF-TRACK
WAGER; HORSE-
MEN’S
GROUP; HOST
RACING
ASSOCIATION; OFF- 
TRACK
BETTING
SYSTEM.—The terms ‘‘interstate 
off-track wager’’, ‘‘horsemen’s group’’, ‘‘host racing 
association’’, and ‘‘off-track betting system’’ have 
the meanings given those terms in section 3 of the 
Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 
3002). 
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(2) VETERINARIAN-CLIENT-PATIENT RELATION-
SHIP.—The term ‘‘veterinarian-client-patient rela-
tionship’’ has the meaning of that term as used in 
the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the 
American Veterinary Medical Association (as in ef-
fect on the date of the enactment of this Act). 
SEC. 4. INDEPENDENT ANTI-DOPING ORGANIZATION FOR 
INTERSTATE HORSERACING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be an independent 
anti-doping organization with responsibility for ensuring 
the integrity and safety of horseraces that are the subject 
of interstate off-track wagers. 
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the independent anti- 
doping organization referred to in subsection (a) with re-
spect to horseraces described in that subsection are the 
following: 
(1) Developing, publishing, and maintaining 
rules with respect to— 
(A) substances, methods, and treatments 
that may not be administered to a horse partici-
pating in such a horserace; 
(B) substances, methods, and treatments 
that may be administered to a horse partici-
pating in such a horserace in the context of a 
veterinarian-client-patient relationship; and 
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(C) the use of substances, methods, and 
treatments permitted under subparagraph (B), 
including rules with respect to the period before 
a horserace (which may not be less than 24 
hours before a horserace) during which a horse 
may no longer receive such substances, meth-
ods, and treatments. 
(2) Implementing programs relating to anti- 
doping education, research, testing, and adjudication 
to prevent any horse participating in a horserace de-
scribed in subsection (a) from racing under the ef-
fect of any substance, method, or treatment that 
could affect the performance of the horse (other 
than a substance, method, or treatment described in 
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) administered 
during a time period that is permitted under sub-
paragraph (C) of that paragraph). 
(3) Excluding from participating in any horse-
race described in subsection (a) any person that the 
independent anti-doping organization or a State rac-
ing commission determines— 
(A) has violated a rule with respect to a 
substance, method, or treatment that may not 
be administered to a horse participating in such 
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a horserace under subparagraph (A) of para-
graph (1); 
(B) has violated 3 or more times a rule 
with respect to a substance, method, or treat-
ment permitted under subparagraphs (B) and 
(C) of that paragraph that has the ability to af-
fect the performance of a horse; or 
(C) is subject to a suspension from horse-
racing activities by any State racing commis-
sion. 
(c) DEADLINE.—The independent anti-doping orga-
nization referred to in subsection (a) shall publish the 
rules required by subsection (b) not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) SUSPENSION OF EXCLUSION PERIOD.—The inde-
pendent anti-doping organization referred to in subsection 
(a) may— 
(1) suspend a period of exclusion from partici-
pating in a horserace imposed on a person pursuant 
to subsection (b)(3) if the person provides substan-
tial assistance to the organization or other persons 
that results in the discovery of— 
(A) a violation of a rule published under 
subsection (b) by another person; or 
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