By Phil Kabler, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is joining Oklahoma, Louisiana and several Horsemen’s Benevolent Associations in suing to overturn a federal law that will create a national regulatory body for thoroughbred horseracing.
State Racing Commission Chairman Ken Lowe said Tuesday the law could destroy the racing industry in West Virginia.
“We have to fight every step of the way to keep racing in West Virginia,” Lowe said of the legislation creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. “The industry in this state could be run out of business.”
Passed by Congress in December, the HISA legislation will create a private, nonprofit authority to be overseen by the Federal Trade Commission that, beginning July 1, 2022, will set rules for medication and drug use, testing, and safety measures at thoroughbred racetracks nationally.
At Tuesday’s Racing Commission meeting, Lowe said he has two primary concerns with the authority: That it has complete autonomy to raise operating funds by imposing assessments on the racing industry, and that it could ban the use of Lasix, an anti-bleeding drug that he said does not affect racing performance…