Title 15 — Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73

§3057 Rule violations and civil sanctions

Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 57A— - HORSERACING INTEGRITY AND SAFETY › § 3057

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates rules that list safety, performance, and anti-doping violations for the horses and people the program covers. The rules can say trainers are strictly responsible if a banned drug or an allowed drug over the limit is found in a horse, or if banned methods are used. They also cover attempts, possession, giving or trying to give a substance, refusing or avoiding testing, not cooperating or lying to investigators, tampering or trying to tamper with tests or officials, trafficking, helping others break the rules, and threatening or trying to scare someone away from reporting problems. "Covered horses" means the horses the program includes. "Covered persons" means the people the program includes. At least 120 days before the program starts, the Authority must set standards and procedures for lab accreditation and testing. An anti-doping enforcement agency will run accreditation and audits and can send samples to special expert labs. States can pick an accredited lab to test their samples, and if they do not, the Authority will pick one. Also by that same 120-day deadline the Authority must set rules for handling test results and for discipline, with notices, hearings, proof rules, appeals, and fair procedures. Civil penalties can include lifetime bans, giving up purses, fines, and changing race results. Drug violators may be able to reduce penalties in a way similar to the U.S. Olympic testing protocol. The Authority can propose changes to any rule for the Commission to review.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §3057

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Authority shall issue, by rule in accordance with section 3053 of this title, a description of safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control rule violations applicable to covered horses and covered persons.

(2)The description of rule violations established under paragraph (1) may include the following:

(A)With respect to a covered horse, strict liability for covered trainers for—

(i)the presence of a prohibited substance or method in a sample or the use of a prohibited substance or method;

(ii)the presence of a permitted substance in a sample in excess of the amount allowed by the horseracing anti-doping and medication control program; and

(iii)the use of a permitted method in violation of the applicable limitations established under the horseracing anti-doping and medication control program.

(B)Attempted use of a prohibited substance or method on a covered horse.

(C)Possession of any prohibited substance or method.

(D)Attempted possession of any prohibited substance or method.

(E)Administration or attempted administration of any prohibited substance or method on a covered horse.

(F)Refusal or failure, without compelling justification, to submit a covered horse for sample collection.

(G)Failure to cooperate with the Authority or an agent of the Authority during any investigation.

(H)Failure to respond truthfully, to the best of a covered person’s knowledge, to a question of the Authority or an agent of the Authority with respect to any matter under the jurisdiction of the Authority.

(I)Tampering or attempted tampering with the application of the safety, performance, or anti-doping and medication control rules or process adopted by the Authority, including—

(i)the intentional interference, or an attempt to interfere, with an official or agent of the Authority;

(ii)the procurement or the provision of fraudulent information to the Authority or agent; and

(iii)the intimidation of, or an attempt to intimidate, a potential witness.

(J)Trafficking or attempted trafficking in any prohibited substance or method.

(K)Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, conspiring, covering up, or any other type of intentional complicity involving a safety, performance, or anti-doping and medication control rule violation or the violation of a period of suspension or eligibility.

(L)Threatening or seeking to intimidate a person with the intent of discouraging the person from the good faith reporting to the Authority, an agent of the Authority or the Commission, or the anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency under section 3054(e) of this title, of information that relates to—

(i)an alleged safety, performance, or anti-doping and medication control rule violation; or

(ii)alleged noncompliance with a safety, performance, or anti-doping and medication control rule.

(b)(1)Not later than 120 days before the program effective date, the Authority shall, in consultation with the anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency, establish, by rule in accordance with section 3053 of this title—

(A)standards of accreditation for laboratories involved in testing samples from covered horses;

(B)the process for achieving and maintaining accreditation; and

(C)the standards and protocols for testing such samples.

(2)The accreditation of laboratories and the conduct of audits of accredited laboratories to ensure compliance with Authority rules shall be administered by the anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency. The anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency shall have the authority to require specific test samples to be directed to and tested by laboratories having special expertise in the required tests.

(3)The Authority may, by rule in accordance with section 3053 of this title, extend provisional or interim accreditation to a laboratory accredited by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, Inc., on a date before the program effective date.

(4)(A)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a State racing commission may select a laboratory accredited in accordance with the standards established under paragraph (1) to test samples taken in the applicable State.

(B)If a State racing commission does not select an accredited laboratory under subparagraph (A), the Authority shall select such a laboratory to test samples taken in the State concerned.

(c)(1)Not later than 120 days before the program effective date, the Authority shall establish in accordance with section 3053 of this title—

(A)rules for safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control results management; and

(B)the disciplinary process for safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control rule violations.

(2)The rules and process established under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A)Provisions for notification of safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control rule violations.

(B)Hearing procedures.

(C)Standards for burden of proof.

(D)Presumptions.

(E)Evidentiary rules.

(F)Appeals.

(G)Guidelines for confidentiality and public reporting of decisions.

(3)The rules established under paragraph (1) shall provide for adequate due process, including impartial hearing officers or tribunals commensurate with the seriousness of the alleged safety, performance, or anti-doping and medication control rule violation and the possible civil sanctions for such violation.

(d)(1)The Authority shall establish uniform rules, in accordance with section 3053 of this title, imposing civil sanctions against covered persons or covered horses for safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control rule violations.

(2)The rules established under paragraph (1) shall—

(A)take into account the unique aspects of horseracing;

(B)be designed to ensure fair and transparent horseraces; and

(C)deter safety, performance, and anti-doping and medication control rule violations.

(3)The civil sanctions under paragraph (1) may include—

(A)lifetime bans from horseracing, disgorgement of purses, monetary fines and penalties, and changes to the order of finish in covered races; and

(B)with respect to anti-doping and medication control rule violators, an opportunity to reduce the applicable civil sanctions that is comparable to the opportunity provided by the Protocol for Olympic Movement Testing of the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

(e)The Authority may propose a modification to any rule established under this section as the Authority considers appropriate, and the proposed modification shall be submitted to and considered by the Commission in accordance with section 3053 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 3057

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73