Barr, Tonko Hopeful '2018 Will Be The Year The Horseracing Integrity Act Makes It To The Winner's Circle'
Reps. Paul Tonko (left) and Andy Barr
The Water Hay Oats Alliance issued the following press release on Saturday concerning the Horseracing Integrity Act, including a statement from the bill's co-sponsors, Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY).
"2017 was a landmark year in our efforts to promote integrity, fairness and uniformity in the great sport of horseracing. At a time when so many Americans are divided by political differences, this issue can bring us together with support from across the equine industry and across the aisles of Congress as well. Our Horseracing Integrity Act now boasts a record number of bipartisan cosponsors in the House and a growing coalition of support from leaders in the sport, including the critical addition of the Stronach Group. We are eager to build on those advances and are hopeful that 2018 will be the year the Horseracing Integrity Act makes it to the winner's circle." - Paul Tonko and Andy Barr.
Despite continued partisan politics in Washington D.C., WHOA continues to promote our rare bipartisan bill and push for its passage. To date HR 2651 has 106 cosponsors in the House, 46 Republicans and 60 Democrats.
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The Water Hay Oats Alliance (WHOA) is a grassroots movement of like-minded individuals who support the passage of federal legislation to prohibit the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the sport of horse racing. The appointment of an independent anti-doping program run by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will resolve the problem of widespread drug use in American racing and put U.S. racing jurisdictions in step with international standards.
Doping destroys public confidence in racing, defrauds the betting fan, weakens the genetic pool and, most importantly, puts the life and limb of our equine athletes and their jockeys at risk. It is obvious that after years of committee review and discussion, America's racing industry cannot police itself by eliminating the proliferation of performance-enhancing drugs in our sport, nor does it possess the power to adequately punish the purveyors of these drugs.
