The U.S. Senate on Monday night voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) along with a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package.
The senators’ priority was mainly the latter, of course, but in an omnibus bill such as this, approval of the main sector carries all the included bills home as well.
The anti-doping bill, a version of which passed in the House of Representatives in September, is expected to be signed into law by outgoing President Trump in the coming days.
The deaths of dozens of horses at a racetrack in Santa Anita, Calif., since 2018 drew widespread national — and negative — attention to the so-called “sport of kings,” with some animal rights groups amplifying their calls to ban the sport entirely.