A federal lawsuit spearheaded by the state of Oklahoma to try and get the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) voided for alleged constitutional violations was filed Monday, meaning there are now two active legal challenges in the United States court system attempting to derail the regulatory powers of the HISA “Authority” prior to that regulatory body’s planned 2022 phase-in.

According to a press release issued by the state attorney general’s office in Oklahoma, the suit is challenging that “HISA gives a private corporation broad regulatory authority over Oklahoma’s horse racing industry, and does so with no funding mechanism, forcing the financial burden onto states. If a state refuses to pay, the state’s legislature and executive agencies would be punitively banned from collecting taxes or fees to enforce their own state regulations.”

The complaint demanding declaratory judgment and injunctive relief was filed Apr. 26 in United States District Court (Eastern Division of Kentucky) even though most of the plaintiffs are based in Oklahoma or West Virginia. The lawsuit’s timing coincides with the start of the GI Kentucky Derby week festivities in that state.