American Horse Council Legislative Issues and Policies
	109th Congres   TAX ISSUES   Equine Equity Act of 2005 Federal law treats the equine industry differently than others in several respects.  Horses must be held longer than other business assets to be subject to capital gains.  Race horse owners are required to make a decision regarding when to begin depreciating their race horses that is not based on the expected racing life of the animals.  MORE     RACING/WAGERING ISSUES   Internet Gambling Legislation Opponents of Internet gambling have introduced legislation in the last five Congresses to prohibit this form of gambling. Passage of legislation prohibiting all Internet wagering, without language permitting the racing industry to continue to offer the wagering opportunities that it has been providing for many years, would be devastating.   MORE   RECREATION ISSUES   HELMET SAFETY BILL In the last Congress, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) introduced the Christen O'Donnell Equestrian Helmet Safety Act of 2004.  This legislation is named after his constituent, Christen O'Donnell, who was thrown off of her horse while riding in a ring.  Although she was wearing a helmet and landed in 4 inches of sand, her injuries were fatal. MORE   RIGHT TO RIDE LEGISLATION Many who enjoy recreational riding on public lands are concerned about the reduction of trails, trail heads and the closure of public lands to horses and pack animals.  Access to areas to ride is one of the most important issues facing riders.  To prevent further closures, recreational riders are working closely with their federal, state and local land managers and also looking for federal legislative solutions.   MORE   HIPPA RECREATIONAL INJURY TECHNICAL CORRECTION ACT Regulations adopted in 2001 by the Internal Revenue Service, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration concerned recreational riders (and other forms of recreation) because the federal provisions permit health insurers to exclude coverage for injuries resulting from riding and other forms of “dangerous” recreation.  MORE   Recreational Trails and Congressional Funding Every four to six years, Congress passes highway funding reauthorization legislation, which includes all funding for transportation projects.  The legislation is important to the horse industry because it also contains authorization for funds for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which provides funds to the states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for recreational trail uses, including riding.  The program was authorized in 1991 and has received increased funding and support since its establishment.  MORE     GENERAL ISSUES OF INTEREST TO THE HORSE INDUSTRY   IMMIGRATION - TEMPORARY WORKER PROGRAMS For some time, there has been a shortage of entry-level workers to satisfy the agricultural and non-agricultural employment needs of the horse industry. MORE   TEMPORARY WORKER PROGRAMS:  H-2B PROGRAM On January 3, 2005 , the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received enough petitions to meet this year’s Congressionally-mandated cap of 66,000 new H-2B workers and would not accept any more petitions for such foreign workers until after October 1, 2005 .  MORE   ANIMAL ENTERPRISE TERRORISM ACT In 1992, Congress passed the “Animal Enterprise Protection Act.”  This law makes it a federal crime to steal animals, damage property, or generally disrupt activities involving animals, including rodeos, horse shows and other equine competitions. MORE   AMERICAN HORSE SLAUGHTER PREVENTION ACT Legislation has been introduced in the last few Congresses that would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption. MORE FEDERAL LEGISLATION ON ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION The livestock industry has been debating the issues surrounding the institution of a national animal identification (ID) system to address animal health emergencies for over a decade. MORE   FEDERAL EMERGENCY DISASTER RELIEF FOR HORSES The horse industry is hurt by floods, droughts, ice storms and hurricanes just like other livestock and crops.  But few horse breeders are eligible for the various forms of emergency federal assistance provided in such circumstances.  While producers of horses kept for the production of food or fiber on the owner’s farm can qualify for federal emergency assistance, producers of other horses are cannot. MORE   WILD HORSE AND BURRO LEGISLATION The wild horse and burro issue has perplexed the various interests involved in it for years.  The herds have been managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) since passage of the 1971 legislation protecting them. MORE     CONGRESSIONAL HORSE CAUCUS  The Congressional Horse Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members of the House of Representatives formed to educate Members of Congress and their staffs about the importance of the horse industry in the economic, agricultural, sporting, gaming and recreational life of the nation.  MORE     TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA  The Department of Interior has reestablished the Take Pride in America (TPIA) Program, a national partnership established by President Ronald Reagan to encourage volunteers to initiate programs to improve our parks, recreation areas, refuges and cultural and historical sites. MORE