Groups thank bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who shepherded the measure to adoption

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GREY2K USA Worldwide and Animal Wellness Action today celebrated the U.S. House Agriculture Committee's adoption of the Greyhound Protection Act, H.R. 5017, by amendment into H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, also known as the Farm Bill. The legislation will prohibit dog racing nationwide, bar US gamblers from betting on foreign races and block the export of American dogs for racing elsewhere. 

Once the sixth largest spectator sport in the United States, greyhound racing now occurs at just at two tracks in West Virginia, both owned by Delaware North, a New York-based gambling and food-service company, which has signaled its desire to step back from this outdated and unpopular form of gambling. Greyhound racing is illegal in 44 states, and remote gambling on dog races has recently been prohibited in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oregon. A generation ago, there were 60 tracks in the United States, so the collapse of racing has been precipitous.

The Greyhound Protection Act was introduced last year by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), who also offered last night's successful amendment to the Farm Bill. The legislation is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 28 members of Congress, including Rep. Randy Fine, R-Florida, Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C. Nunn and Davis both spoke in favor of the amendment, which passed overwhelmingly by a voice vote of the Agriculture Committee. The groups thanked these lawmakers for their leadership on the issue.

"This is an historic victory for the protection of greyhounds, and the result of decades of grassroots campaigning," said GREY2K USA Worldwide Executive Director Carey Theil. "We are grateful for the leadership of these legislative champions who have given the dogs a voice."

Dogs used for racing are kept confined in stacked metal cages for up to 23 hours a day. When let out to race, they suffer serious injuries including broken legs and backs, crushed skulls, and paralysis. In 2024, 487 greyhound injuries were reported at the final two tracks in West Virginia, including 162 dogs that suffered broken bones and thirteen dogs that died. Since 2020, greyhound breeders in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado have been documented killing rabbits in cruel "live lure" training exercises.

"Passing the Greyhound Protection Act in the House Agriculture Committee is more evidence of the emerging national consensus that greyhound racing is archaic and inhumane," said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. "This is just the first step on this legislative journey, but it's the first ever vote on the Greyhound Protection Act and it signals future success."

In 2018, Florida voters passed a ballot measure to end gambling on greyhound races with 69% of the statewide vote. Florida was the first state to legalize dog racing in 1931 and prior to the launch of the ballot measure campaign, Florida hosted 12 of the 18 tracks operating in the United States. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was then Attorney General of Florida, actively supported the measure. Multiple other states followed Florida's lead, including Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, and Texas. However, West Virginia law currently mandates that greyhound racing continue as a condition of offering other forms of gambling. The state also requires annual subsidy payments of up to $22 million to owners of racing dogs.

"Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane, and will soon be relegated to the dustbin of history," said GREY2K USA Worldwide President and General Counsel Christine A. Dorchak, who drafted the bill. "In modern society, greyhounds are loving companions, and should not be used and abused as gambling props."

The Greyhound Protection Act has been endorsed by more than 250 animal protection groups, local animal shelters, anti-gambling organizations, international NGOs, and greyhound adoption groups. In the last Congress, a nearly identical bill won the support of 80 cosponsors. Notable endorsers include Stop Predatory Gambling, the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia, Eastwood Ranch Rescue, the National Greyhound Adoption Program, the National Humane Education Society and Best Friends Animal Society.

The federal government has authority on this subject because dogs are bred and transported across state lines for racing and races are broadcast to numerous states for simulcast gambling. The bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to achieve its purpose of ending greyhound racing.

GREY2K USA Worldwide is the largest greyhound protection organization in the United States with more than 300,000 supporters. As a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization, the group works to pass stronger greyhound protection laws and end the cruelty of dog racing on both national and international levels. GREY2K USA Worldwide also promotes the rescue and adoption of greyhounds across the globe. For more information, go to www.GREY2KUSA.org or visit GREY2K USA Worldwide on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. X: @AWAction_News

The Center for a Humane Economy is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) whose mission is to help animals by helping forge a more humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both. The Center believes helping animals helps us all. X: @TheHumaneCenter

Contact: Lindsey von Busch at 732-284-9089| lindsey@animalwellnessaction.org
Carey Theil at 781-488-3526| carey@grey2kusa.org

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SOURCE GREY2K USA