NJRC opts to not serve as fee collector for HISA

Posted: March 24, 2022

The New Jersey Racing Commission March 23 voted unanimously to not be the collector of fees that will pay for implementation of the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020.

HISA by law will take effect July 1, 2022, but only the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Racetrack Safety Program. The Anti-Doping and Medication Control component has been delayed until 2023.

HISA plans a fee schedule using a proportionate state-by-state formula based on number of starts and total purses according to its most recent submittal to the Federal Trade Commission. State regulator agencies must decide by May 1 whether collect and remit fees to the authority or opt for the authority to bill racetracks.

NJRC Executive Director Judith Nason said the commission would have to devise a collection scheme but the statutory approval process could drag on for a year or so. Noting that it couldn’t be in place by July 1 of this year, NJRC staff recommended the commission not move to collect the HISA fees. The vote was 6-0.

Nason said the HISA law places the burden of fee collection on the authority. Other racing regulatory agencies in the Mid-Atlantic region are expected to make decisions regarding the payment of the fees at upcoming meetings.