[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2182 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2182

 To deregulate interstate commerce with respect to parimutuel wagering 
                on horseracing, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2015

  Mr. Pitts introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To deregulate interstate commerce with respect to parimutuel wagering 
                on horseracing, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coronado Heights Horseracing 
Deregulation Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; BACKGROUND.

    (a) In General.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Congress enacted the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 
        (Public Law 95-515; 15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) to regulate 
        interstate commerce with respect to parimutuel wagering on 
        horseracing in order to further the horseracing industry of the 
        United States.
            (2) In 2000, Congress amended such Act to allow parimutuel 
        wagering by telephone and over the Internet, a gambling 
        privilege no other sport enjoys.
            (3) The use of performance-enhancing drugs in horseracing 
        is widespread in the United States, where no uniform 
        regulations exist with respect to the use of, and testing for, 
        performance-enhancing drugs in interstate horseracing.
            (4) A 2012 New York Times investigation found that, on 
        average, every week 24 horses die racing, a high equine 
        fatality rate likely caused by the misuse of permitted 
        medication and abuse of illegal drugs.
            (5) A 2013 horseracing industry study found that a large 
        majority of parimutuel wagering participants avoid wagering at 
        certain tracks and when certain trainers compete because they 
        assume illegal drug use affects race results.
            (6) Total parimutuel wagering on Thoroughbred horseracing 
        in the United Stated declined 30 percent from 2002 to 2014.
            (7) The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 has not met its 
        original policy goal of furthering the United States 
        horseracing industry.
    (b) Background for Including the Name of a Racehorse in Short 
Title.--The purpose in providing the short title used in this Act is to 
honor horses who died while competing in races with interstate, off-
track wagering authorized under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978. 
Coronado Heights was a Thoroughbred horse who last competed as a four-
year old on February 25, 2012. A race observer noted that Coronado 
Heights broke down just prior to reaching the end of the backstretch. 
The 4-year-old Coronado Heights, whose veterinary records show had 
``early degenerative joint disease'', suffered his fatal breakdown at 
Aqueduct after receiving 13 injections for pain and cartilage damage in 
the month before his race.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF INTERSTATE HORSERACING ACT OF 1978.

    (a) In General.--The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (Public Law 
95-515; 15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is hereby repealed.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 5362(10) of chapter 53 of title 
31, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)(iii)--
                    (A) by striking subclause (I); and
                    (B) by redesignating subclauses (II), (III), and 
                (IV) as subclauses (I), (II), and (III), respectively;
            (2) in subparagraph (C)(iv)--
                    (A) by striking subclause (I); and
                    (B) by redesignating subclauses (II), (III), and 
                (IV) as subclauses (I), (II), and (III), respectively;
            (3) by striking subparagraph (D); and
            (4) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (D).
                                 <all>