Andy Barr

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has released a new campaign advocating for passage of a bill that would repeal a wagering tax as part of legislation passed by Congress earlier this year, the NTRA announced Tuesday. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law July 4, there was a tax change regarding wagering losses--reducing the deduction from 100% to 90%. In response, Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr has introduced the WAGER Act (Winnings and Gains Expense Restoration Act), new legislation which would restore the deduction back...

One bill designed to restore the gambling losses tax deduction to 100% is languishing in committee and has, for all intents and purposes, politically flat-lined. The giant tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July caps gambling loss deductions to 90% of winnings (from 100%)--a provision set to go into effect next year. Industry leaders have warned this rate change could hit horse racing hard through reduced revenues from gambling dollars. Those jurisdictions with no supplemental purse revenues, like California, are especially vulnerable to the...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Jockeys' Guild, in partnership with the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, co-hosted a mental health roundtable on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the U.S. Capitol. The event brought together jockeys and professional athletes from women's soccer and football to share their personal experiences and highlight both the common and unique mental health challenges they face. "We are committed to keeping the dialogue going on mental health challenges for professional jockeys," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "The more we talk about it, the more jockeys...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is actively supporting the Regulation Advancement for Capital Enhancement (RACE) Act of 2025, the organized announced in a press release Monday. Introduced by congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) earlier this month, the a bill aims to simplify the registration process required by the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to allow more Americans to invest in the industry through fractional ownership of Thoroughbred racehorses. "Thanks to companies like MyRacehorse, thousands of people across the country get to experience the excitement of owning a winning horse," said...

Three federal legislators who were instrumental in getting the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) passed into law in 2020 on Tuesday submitted a "friend of the court" brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of the HISA Authority's application for the stay of an unconstitutionality mandate that is pending but currently administratively stayed out of the Fifth Circuit court of appeals. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who introduced HISA when he served as the Majority Leader, plus Congressmen Andy Barr (R-Kentucky) and Paul Tonko (D-New York), who both...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) hosted its second Annual Kentucky Derby Kick-off Reception on Capitol Hill this week, the organization said in a release Friday. On hand were more than 600 attendees, including many congressional staffers from the offices of Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06), Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY-20). For the event, the National Museum of Racing lent the Count Fleet Triple Crown and Kentucky Derby trophies, and Coolmore provided halters worn by Triple Crown Winners American Pharoah and Justify. This...

Two pieces of federal legislation to incentivize investments in Thoroughbreds were reintroduced Apr. 27 by United States Reps. Andy Barr and Morgan McGarvey, both of Kentucky. The Race Horse Cost Recovery Act of 2023 would make the three-year depreciation schedule permanent for racehorses, regardless of their age when put into service. Currently, Congress must reauthorize this provision in the tax law on an annual basis. The Racehorse Tax Parity Act would reduce the holding period for equine assets to be considered long term capital gains, putting them on a level...

A fundraising event to help benefit the families affected by last weekend's devastating Western Kentucky tornado will take place at Frank & Dino's restaurant in Lexington on Sunday, Jan. 2. Complimentary food and drinks will be served between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the popular Italian eatery. WLKY reported Thursday that 16 people, down from a high of 122, are still missing and that the death toll has risen to 76 Kentuckians. More than 1,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed and there are approximately still 3,000 power outages....

U.S. Congressman Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican who represents Lexington, has reintroduced the Equine Tax Fairness Act, which, if passed would make changes to the tax laws favorable to horse owners and breeders, it was announced by his office Wednesday. The bill calls for new regulations that would make the three-year depreciation schedule permanent for racehorses, no matter their age when put into service. Currently, Congress must reauthorize this provision in the tax law on an annual basis. The legislation would also reduce the holding period for equine assets to...

The lead congressional sponsors of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Representatives Andy Barr (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), have filed a 14-page amicus ('friend of the court') brief in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and some of its affiliates, challenging its constitutionality. The brief lays out the reasons why HISA is necessary to protect and preserve the future of horse racing, deliberations in Congress over the course of several years that included input from all...

The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill that was expected to pass Monday includes a provision that calls for the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. With the omnibus spending bill having received bipartisan support and with President Donald J. Trump expected to sign it, the legislation that would bring sweeping change to how the sport is regulated and policed appears to have cleared its final hurdle. Congressional leaders announced Sunday night that they had reached a deal on the stimulus package that included the horse racing act. It...

By a unanimous Sep. 29 voice vote, the United States House of Representatives passed a years-in-the-making bill that, if eventually signed into law, will develop and implement anti-doping, medication control, drug testing, and racetrack safety standard programs enforced by an independent authority whose powers would supersede the long-standing state-by-state regulation of the sport. HR 1754, which has existed in various proposed forms since 2015 and was amended Sep. 9 to match the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) companion legislation that got introduced in the U.S. Senate that same day,...