Congressman Ron Lewis Receives Rolapp Award

On Tuesday, April 4^th at its annual Awards Luncheon held during AHC’s annual National Issues Forum, the American Horse Council presented the Rolapp Award to Congressman Ron Lewis of Kentucky

The Rolapp Award is named in honor of R. Richards Rolapp, president of the American Horse Council until 1993, when he passed away, and is presented to a Member of Congress who has been particularly supportive of the horse industry.

Congressman Lewis was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and serves on the important Ways and Means Committee.  He has played a major role in shaping and passing the major tax bills of the last few years, including the increase of the Section 179 expense deduction for horses to $100,000 and bonus depreciation.  Both changes helped the horse industry and the economy.

In the last Congress he was particularly important in passing the so-called alien withholding provision which will provide important opportunities to open up the international wagering market.

In this Congress, he is the principal House sponsor of the Equine Equity Act, which would (1) shorten the withholding period for horses to enjoy capital gains treatment, (2) put all race horses in the three-year category for depreciation purposes and (3) extend the eligibility of horse owners to benefit from federal emergency relief following disasters.

“Congressman Lewis understands and appreciates the importance of the $102 billion horse industry and the agri-business it supports,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council in presenting the award to Congressman Lewis.  “The industry very much appreciates his long-standing support and hard work and we are very pleased to present him with the 2006 Rolapp Award.”