The two states will join Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia in adopting the legislation. States that currently recognize the National Racing Compact license are Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. New York requires two additional documents for licensing.

Legislation is being pursued in several states, including California (where a national licensing bill was veto by Gov. Gray Davis last year), Arksansas, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington. The Compact is chaired by Robin Williams, chairwoman of the Virginia Racing Commission. Jon McKinnie, a member of the Louisiana Racing Commission, has been hired as executive director.

The Compact has been empowered to set standards for individual licenses, accept applications and fingerprints, analyze criminal history information and issue a national license that can be used in states either participating in the program or which recognize the license. The Compact was approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to receive criminal history information from the FBI. Participants need only complete one license application and provide one set of fingerprints instead of duplicating the process in each state. The cost to an applicant is $150, plus applicable fees in states where the license is to be used.

Currently, an owner's license is the only type available, but the Compact hopes to announce a trainer's license in early May, followed shortly thereafter by a jockey's license.

Previous efforts for national licensing failed because various racing states adopted different criteria for assessing criminal history of applicants and sharing of criminal history information between states generally was not permitted.