[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6158 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6158

   To amend the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 to require, as a 
condition to the consent for off-track wagering, that horsemen's groups 
 and host racing commissions offer insurance coverage for professional 
    jockeys and other horseracing personnel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 2006

  Mr. Whitfield (for himself and Mr. Stupak) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 to require, as a 
condition to the consent for off-track wagering, that horsemen's groups 
 and host racing commissions offer insurance coverage for professional 
    jockeys and other horseracing personnel, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONDITION FOR CONSENT OF OFF-TRACK WAGERING.

    (a) Requirement.--Section 5(a) of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 
1978 (15 U.S.C. 3004(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
                subparagraph (C);
                    (B) by adding after subparagraph (A) the following:
                    ``(B) that as a condition precedent to such consent 
                (except in a State where jockeys, exercise riders, or 
                backside personnel and trainers are included in a State 
                worker's compensation program under the laws or 
                regulations of such State effective on June 30, 2006) 
                the terms and conditions of the agreement described in 
                subparagraph (A) provide that not less than 50 percent 
                of any amount received by the horsemen's group under 
                such agreement be paid by the horsemen's group to the 
                host racing commission for the purpose of the host 
                racing commission offering insurance coverage for 
                professional jockeys, exercise riders, and backside 
                personnel and trainers; and provided further,''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting before the semicolon the 
        following: ``, including the consent of such commission to 
        offer insurance coverage with the funds obtained by such 
        commission based on the terms and conditions of the written 
        agreement as set forth in paragraph (1)(B)''.
    (b) Definition.--Section 3 of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 
1978 (15 U.S.C. 3002) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (22), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon;
            (2) by adding after paragraph (22) the following new 
        paragraphs:
            ``(23) `insurance coverage' means health and injury 
        insurance for jockeys, exercise riders, and backside personnel 
        and trainers who are employed or under contract for training or 
        horseracing in the State of the host racing association and who 
        may be injured in the performance of their official duties 
        while so employed or under contract;
            ``(24) `exercise rider' means an individual employed as a 
        rider by a horse trainer or any other person to assist in the 
        exercising and training of a horse for horseracing; and
            ``(25) `jockey' means a professional jockey who is licensed 
        by one or more State to compete as a rider in horseracing.''.
    (c) Amendment to Findings.--Section 2(a) of the Interstate 
Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) there is a need for the Federal government, in 
        ensuring such cooperation, to ensure that jockeys, exercise 
        riders, and backside personnel and trainers who may be injured 
        in the performance of their official duties while employed or 
        under contract in horseracing receive insurance coverage.''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON STEROIDS.

    The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is 
further amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 6 through 9 as sections 7 
        through 10, respectively;
            (2) in section 8(a) (as so redesignated), by striking 
        ``with section 6.'' and inserting ``with section 7. A jockey, 
        exercise rider, or trainer or other backside personnel may 
        bring such an action for a violation of the condition in 
        section 5(a)(1)(B) or a violation of section 6.''; and
            (3) by inserting after section 5 the following:

                       ``prohibition on steroids

    ``Sec. 6.  No person may enter a horse in any horserace that is the 
subject of an interstate off-track wager if such horse has been given 
anabolic steroids of any kind. The appropriate host racing commission 
shall develop procedures for and administer appropriate testing for the 
presence of anabolic steroids.''.
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