CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey praised a recent 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling that found the Horseracing Integrity Safety Act unconstitutional.
“Ensuring the health and safety of race horses remains important and we can do so in a manner that respects state sovereignty – a far cry from the impact of the Horseracing Integrity Safety Act,” Morrisey said. “This act would have taken away much of West Virginia’s constitutional authority to regulate horse safety and health, give it to a private company and then make West Virginia pay for it.”
The 5th Circuit ruled in favor of opponents of the act in Louisiana, West Virginia and Texas.
The act would have created a private, nonprofit corporation that has the exclusive power to promulgate government-like rules that regulate doping, medication control and racetrack safety in horseracing – matters already regulated by individual states.