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People & committees
Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] · D–NY
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 5, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-24 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Temporary International Movement of Equines Act of 2026 would require the Agriculture Department to create rules for competition and racing horses entering the United States temporarily. Horses meeting specified international health standards would receive expedited entry and modified quarantine procedures. The rules would also require identification, tracking, and measures to prevent disease spread. The supplied evidence does not establish that these proposals became law.
This Act may be cited as the Temporary International Movement of Equines Act of 2026 or the TIME Act of 2026.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall issue regulations to facilitate the temporary international movement of high-health, high-performance horses.
establish a risk-based framework incorporating identification, traceability, and biosecurity measures;
provide for expedited entry procedures and modified quarantine protocols consistent with international best practices and internationally recognized standards.
The term temporary international movement means the entry of high-health, high-performance horses into the United States for a limited duration for the purpose of participating in recognized international competitions or races.
The bill's findings present restrictive import procedures as a deterrent to participation in U.S. horse events and describe alignment with international standards as beneficial. These are the proposal's stated reasons for action, not established outcomes of the bill.
International horse competitions hosted in the United States contribute significantly to the national and local economies, but many owners and trainers avoid U.S.-based events due to non-standardized, restrictive protocols.
updating U.S. horse import and transport protocols to align with international standards is a science-based, welfare-focused, economically sound, and globally competitive move that will benefit horses, the industry, and the public.
Eligibility would depend on the Agriculture Secretary determining that a horse meets the World Organization for Animal Health's standards for health, disease prevention, and identification. Covered entry would be for a limited stay to participate in recognized international competitions or races.
The term high-health, high-performance horse means a horse that meets the health, biosecurity, and identification standards established by the World Organization for Animal Health for temporary movement, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.
The term temporary international movement means the entry of high-health, high-performance horses into the United States for a limited duration for the purpose of participating in recognized international competitions or races.
The Secretary would have to issue rules recognizing the low health risk of horses certified for international competition under the international organization's standards. Those rules would have to use a risk-based approach that includes identifying horses, tracking them, and preventing disease spread.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall issue regulations to facilitate the temporary international movement of high-health, high-performance horses.
The regulations (including the revisions to such regulations) referred to in subsection (a) shall— (1) recognize the low health risk posed by horses certified for international competition under standards established by the World Organization for Animal Health; (2) establish a risk-based framework incorporating identification, traceability, and biosecurity measures;
The rules would have to accept horse health certifications from qualifying national or international organizations and provide expedited entry and modified quarantine procedures consistent with international best practices and recognized standards.
(3) accept certification from national or international recognized entities regarding the health status of horses; and (4) provide for expedited entry procedures and modified quarantine protocols consistent with international best practices and internationally recognized standards.
A qualifying certifying organization would need both recognized status and responsibility for organizing, regulating, or certifying covered competitions or participants. Recognition could come through certification as a national sports governing body under the cited law or through another appropriate entity determined by the Agriculture Secretary.
The term national or international recognized entity means an organization— (A) (i) certified as a national governing body under section 220521(a) of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (36 U.S.C. 220521); or (ii) certified or recognized by another appropriate entity, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture (including national recognized breed registries, national recognized discipline organizations, and sanctioning bodies); and (B) that is responsible for organizing, regulating, or certifying high-health, high-performance horse competitions or participants.
The bill defines two types of domestic organizations that could participate in the recognition system. Breed registries would maintain official ancestry, identification, and performance records and enforce breed standards or competition rules. Organizations for a particular horse sport would oversee competitions and set participation, eligibility, or health standards.
The term national recognized breed registry means a domestic organization that maintains official pedigree, identification, and performance records for a specific equine breed and that establishes and enforces breed specific standards or competition rules.
The term national recognized discipline organization means a domestic organization that sanctions, regulates, or certifies equine competitions within a defined sport discipline and establishes participation, eligibility, or health standards for such competitions.
The Secretary would have to review the rules periodically and revise them when appropriate. Review would also be required when relevant international standards change, horse disease testing significantly advances, or patterns of horse diseases subject to regulation change.
The Secretary shall periodically review and, as appropriate, revise such regulations, including whenever— (1) the World Organization for Animal Health revises its health, biosecurity, and identification standards for the temporary international movement of high-health, high-performance horses; (2) a significant advance is made in equine diagnostic capabilities; or (3) a change occurs in the epidemiology of equine regulatory diseases.
The Secretary would have to begin the process of making these rules within 180 days after enactment. This deadline applies to starting rulemaking, not completing it.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall initiate rulemaking to implement the provisions of this Act.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 5, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 24, 2026. It does not establish subsequent legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-05T19:15:59Z. 2026-09-24: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-09-24: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-24. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text provides specialized regulatory treatment for a narrowly defined category of horse entries. This treatment is central to the bill's policy; identifying it is not a judgment about its merits.
Horses meeting specified international health standards and temporarily entering for recognized international competitions or races would receive expedited entry and modified quarantine procedures. This is a narrow regulatory accommodation tied to the bill's main purpose, with eligibility determined by the Agriculture Secretary.
provide for expedited entry procedures and modified quarantine protocols consistent with international best practices and internationally recognized standards.
The term high-health, high-performance horse means a horse that meets the health, biosecurity, and identification standards established by the World Organization for Animal Health for temporary movement, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.
The term temporary international movement means the entry of high-health, high-performance horses into the United States for a limited duration for the purpose of participating in recognized international competitions or races.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 5, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI