Just got this email and was about to post here.  Great news!!

it will be interesting to see if this bill passes.  There will probably be a fair amount of opposition.  I hope it passes and hope it is a step in the right direction.  Horse racing has not demonstrated that it can establish a governing body that can consistently and uniformly regulate and police itself.  Was that an understatement?!

Fair statement.  But I can think of few organizations that can actually self-regulate and do it well. Lots of factors that make that hard such as "group think," , but the bottom line is when asking any large group to regulate itself, you can pretty much count one fox or coalition of like-minded foxes who will be more than happy to volunteer to guard the henhouse door!

Yes, that's true.  Never good when the fox is minding the hen house.  Some of the big sports have done a better job in enforcing rules and regulations, although that could certainly be debated, and there seems to be a tendency to have outside investigations when necessary.

Btw, Travis Tygart's comments re: the proposed bill:

USADA CEO Travis Tygart was quick to commend the move.  "The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency applauds Congressman Paul Tonko for committing his time and energy to help create a uniform, independent, and meaningful anti-doping program for Thoroughbred horse racing through the Thoroughbred Horse Racing Anti-Doping Act of 201.  Along with The Jockey Club, the Breeders' Cup, WHOA, the Humane Society, and others in the industry, USADA supports this piece of legislation. It is our hope that the model of independence, harmonization, and enforcement of robust anti-doping programs envisioned through this legislation can be realized to finally truly protect the health of the athletes and the integrity of the competition."  www.whoa.org

Lance Armstrong and others can attest to the fact that Tygart is not one to back down, even with threatened lawsuits, defamation, etc.

Sometimes takes a pit bull to get reforms in place, especially when big $$$ are involved.  Hope he practices his "throat clenches" and "lock and holds".

Lance is a prime example that if you cheat, sooner or later, in some form or shape, it's gonna bite you in the butt! Might be years down the pike, but ultimately, truth counts.

Veterinary Group Joins Integrity Coalition

The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association said June 23 it will join the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity, a group that supports federal legislation that would authorize oversight of equine medication, testing, and enforcement.

The Humane Society of the United States already is a member of the coalition, which was launched in late May in conjunction with an announcement by U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko of New York that he would introduce legislation to grant the oversight to the United States Anti-Doping Agency under a new umbrella organization called Thoroughbred Horseracing Anti-Doping Organization

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/92688/veterinary-group-joins-integrity-coalition

A few more would be nice, but too many would not be good IMHO

Excellent!  Would like to see the AVMA come out with much stronger, broader statements as well, but there is probably some internal resistance to that.

Not sure I'm following your logic here.