WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission opened a 14-day public-comment period on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s proposed 2027 budget, which would reduce gross spending by more than $4.4 million from 2026 while directing nearly three-quarters of expenditures to anti-doping and medication control.
Comments are due Sept. 24. After reviewing submissions, the FTC must approve or disapprove the budget and may modify individual line items under its oversight authority.
HISA’s proposed gross budget is about $72.7 million, down roughly 5.75% from 2026 and about 9.5% from 2025. The authority attributed the reduction to lower program costs, reduced travel and professional-services spending, and other operational savings.
Nearly 75% of the proposed budget would support HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, including sample collection, laboratory testing, and enforcement operations. Sample-collection costs alone are budgeted at about $16.6 million.
The authority also budgeted $2.3 million for technology infrastructure and applications, including $1.59 million for Palantir services and $600,000 for Amazon Web Services. Another $5 million is allocated to outsourced technology services and systems support.
HISA projects $330,000 in racetrack-safety fine collections and $180,000 from anti-doping and medication-control fines in 2027. It also expects $395,503 in laboratory-testing income and $398,000 in reimbursements tied to racetrack-safety services.
The proposal excludes assessments for racetracks in Louisiana and West Virginia because of a federal court injunction preventing implementation of HISA rules in those states. If those states enter the program in 2027, HISA is seeking authority to spread assessments across the additional tracks, reducing the amount charged elsewhere.
The authority made a similar request for any Texas racetrack that begins conducting covered races during 2027.
HISA’s 2026 expenses are currently forecast at $54.87 million, below that year’s budget. The authority attributed much of the difference to credits for sample collection and laboratory expenses paid directly by states and industry participants, along with savings and the absence of certain racetracks from the program.
The FTC oversees HISA under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020, which created the private self-regulatory organization to administer national standards for racetrack safety, anti-doping and medication control in thoroughbred racing. The commission’s oversight extends to HISA rules, sanctions and annual budgets.
Under the FTC’s budget process, HISA first publishes its proposed budget and collects public comments before submitting the package to the commission. HISA received 13 comments during its initial 2027 budget review, and its board unanimously approved the final proposal after making changes that increased the gross budget by $14,000 from the initial draft.
The FTC evaluates whether the budget advances the goals of the federal horseracing law in a “prudent and cost-effective manner” and whether anticipated revenue is sufficient to cover projected expenses.
Comments may be submitted at https://www.regulations.gov using the designation “HISA 2027 Budget, Matter No. P222100.”
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