Federal Legislation Introduced on Insurance for Jockeys, Trainers, Backside Workers

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Edited release from U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield
U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) on Thursday introduced the Jockeys' Insurance Fairness Act, a bill to provide injury insurance for jockeys, trainers, and backside workers in the horse racing industry.

"Horse racing is and will continue to be a very dangerous sport," said Whitfield. "Instead of turning a blind eye to that reality, we should establish a basic level of injury coverage for workers in the horse racing industry. That's exactly what this bill is intended to do."

Stupak, the leading Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations added, "During the Kentucky Derby, the Woodford Reserve Distillery was selling $1,000 mint juleps with the proceeds going to a retirement fund for the race horses yet, there was no similar fundraising for the jockeys who risk their lives to earn millions of dollars for the owners and trainers of these horses. This bill will help remedy that disparity."

The Jockeys' Insurance Fairness Act amends the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 by redirecting at least 50% of the revenues horsemens' groups receive from simulcast racing agreements to state racing authorities. The state racing authorities would then be required to use those revenues to offer on-track injury coverage for jockeys, exercise workers, trainers, and track workers.

The bill also includes a federal prohibition against entering horses into races that have been administered anabolic steroids of any kind. Steroids cause dramatic muscle mass increases in horses, which can damage ligaments that weaken a horse's foundation. Whitfield said the provision was included to improve racing safety and reduce the number of catastrophic accidents that happen on the track.

Thursday's developments are the latest effort by Whitfield, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, to improve health and welfare conditions for workers in the horse racing industry. Since 2005, Whitfield has held three hearings exposing how the Guild's controversial past management squandered the organization's resources on themselves and, in the process, allowed jockeys' catastrophic injury insurance to lapse.

Whitfield expressed hope that the bill would receive speedy consideration in the Congress. "Accidents will continue to happen at the track, and we should not wait for individual tracks to increase their coverage. A consistent federal policy will mean that all riders, trainers and backside workers are covered for accidents that may occur. This is a common sense approach, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill," said Whitfield.

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