DES MOINES, IA — Iowa 3rd Congressional District Representative Zach Nunn joined California District 24 Representative Salud Carbajal, Thursday, when introducing the Greyhound Protection Act, a bipartisan bill to ban greyhound racing in the United States permanently.

The legislation would also prohibit gambling on live and simulcast greyhound races and outlaw the export of American greyhounds for racing purposes abroad.

“Greyhound racing is a cruel and inhumane practice that has no place anywhere in this country,” said Rep. Nunn. “Iowa shut down its last greyhound track because our communities recognized the cruelty behind this industry. This bill follows Iowa’s lead, ensuring man’s best friend is treated with the care and respect every dog deserves.”

Nunn’s office said in a news release, Greyhounds in the racing industry frequently endure cruel and mistreatment, spending up to 23 hours a day in cages, racing injuries that often result in death, and exposure to performance-enhancing drugs. While 44 states, including Iowa, have already banned greyhound racing, a national prohibition is needed to close remaining loopholes and fully end the practice.

Once a multibillion-dollar industry, greyhound betting in the U.S. peaked at $3.5 billion in 1991 and has since dropped to just $8.5 million. Despite this progress, international greyhound racing remains a multi-hundred-million-dollar market, bolstered by online betting platforms and continued racing in countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

The Greyhound Protection Act ensures the U.S. does not continue to fuel this global abuse. “Iowa rightly got out of the business of dog racing, and that’s a good thing because the number of dogs injured on tracks in our state was eye-popping,” said Tom Colvin, president of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. “I’m grateful to Congressman Nunn for working to make it a national policy to treat greyhounds well and to stop wagering on races that put dogs at needless risk of catastrophic injury.”

The Greyhound Protection Act would:

• Ban greyhound racing nationwide and permanently prohibit the operation of greyhound racetracks anywhere in the U.S.

• Prohibit in-person and online gambling on domestic and international greyhound races

• Prevent the export of American greyhounds for racing purposes

Together, Nunn says, these reforms would shut the door on a cruel industry, hold bad actors accountable, and uphold the values of compassion and humane treatment that Iowans believe in.