Proposed enforcement and cost-assessment rules for HISA approved by FTC

Posted: April 2, 2022

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on April 1 reported that the Federal Trade Commission has approved proposed rules for enforcement and for cost assessments for state racing regulatory agencies to fund HISA programs.

The Enforcement Rule describes a range of violations and civil sanctions, establishes procedures for disciplinary and racetrack accreditation hearings, and grants the HISA authority necessary investigatory powers. In a release, the HISA authority said approval by the FTC indicates that the rules meet the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act’s requirement to define violations and provide for adequate due process, including impartial hearing officers or tribunals commensurate with the seriousness of the alleged violation.

The annual assessments that state racing regulatory agencies received April 1—the Methodology Assessment Rule—outlines a process designed to ensure fairness and equity across Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions, the authority said. The cost calculations represent each state’s proportionate share of HISA’s 2022 budget as required under the federal law. HISA calculated 50% of each state racing regulatory agency’s cost according to the total number of starts in covered races and the remaining half based on starts weighted for purses in covered races.

\“It is HISA’s intention to work with relevant stakeholders on an ongoing basis to evolve and improve the rules as more data become available and as circumstances dictate,” the authority said in its release.