§3056 Racetrack Safety Program

Summary

The Authority must set up a racetrack safety program by the program effective date, after giving notice and a chance for public comment. The program must cover the covered horses, people, and races and follow the rules for registering covered people. When making the program, the Authority and the Commission must look at existing safety codes, such as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ agreement, and the British Horseracing Authority’s Equine Health and Welfare program. The program must include training and race-day safety rules that fit different regions and tracks and protect horses’ welfare (including lists of allowed and banned practices). It must set up a system to keep track of and maintain track surfaces, rules for horse movement and injury reporting, programs to study injuries and deaths, and inspections before and after training and races. The program must allow investigations at tracks and other facilities, set procedures for charging and deciding violations, list civil penalties, provide for disciplinary hearings (including binding arbitration), manage violation results, and support safety research and education. A racetrack safety committee must help make uniform standards. At least 120 days before the program starts, the Authority must publish accreditation standards and how tracks can get and keep accreditation. The Authority can change those rules, and the Commission must publish changes for public comment. The Authority can give provisional accreditation to tracks already accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association before the program starts. Within one year after the program starts, the Authority must create and keep a national database of racehorse safety, performance, health, and injury information for an epidemiological study, and it can require covered people to submit data to that database.