At the Finish Line

and should not be required to meet requirements for the disease (the 21 -day isolation is based on the incubation period of the virus). Second, many competitionriders do not want to vaccinate their horses for EEE mad WEE and since the horse is a"d~__d-end"host for the virus the virus cannot be spread from one horse to another. Therefore, it is urmecessary to require the horses to be vaccinated, particularly temporary imports. Most importantly, the only horses required to complete the 21-day isolation and the vaccination program are competition horses intended for one show. Horses intended for permanent entry into Sweden or for any other competition (such as racing, etc.) do not have to meet the above requirements. AHC and the American Horse Shows Association worked with USDA to get the Swedish to change their rules. Dr. King and Dr. Glosser raised the issue with the Swedish Veterinary official at the OIE in Paris but Sweden would not make any changes. Several U. S. horses already in Europe will be allowed into Sweden without completing the requirements. Three dressage horses and some show jumpers have entered the 21 -day pre-shipment isolation and will be going to the Horse Show. These requirements also apply to the 1990 World Cup which will be held in Sweden. Efforts are being made to change the restrictions.

FREGIN NAMED TO FDA COMMITTEE Dr. Fred Fregin, director of the Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, VA, has been appointed to serve on the Food and Drug Administration's Veterinary Medical Advisory Committee O/MAC). Dr. Fregin assumed the position for companion animal medicine. The Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine on issues such as the use and regulationof animal drugs. AHC has pushed for several years for the placement of an equine industry representative on the committee.

VOLUNTEER PROTECTION ACT REINTRODUCED In 1988, a strong effort was made by the National Coalition for Volunteer Protection and its members to promote federal volunteer liabilitylegislation. Bills to help volunteer-dependent groups cope with insurance problems did not

make it out of committee but the coalition and sponsors continued to gain grassroots support for reintroduction in 1989. Congressman Johil Porter (R-IL) now has reintroduced H. R. 911, The Volunteer Protection Act, and an identical bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), numbered S. 520. H.R. 911 and S. 520 differ in 2 significant ways from last year's version. First the enforcement mechanism of the bill has been changed from a redistribution of Social Service Block Grant fund (SSBG) to an increase in SSBG funds for states which have laws which comply with the volunteer liability standards outlined in the legislation. Second the definition of standards for state compliance has been broadened to include requiremerits for insurance coverage or risk-management programs as a pre-condition to hmited liability for volunteers. As a result, over 15 states currently comply with the standards outlined in the new version of H. R. 91 I. The coalition's goal is to rebuild House co-sponsorship of the legislation to 250 by the August recess and ultimately to have the bill passed by both bodies of Congress and signed into taw by the President before the end of the 101st Congress. The AHC is a coalition member and encourages member organizations and individuals to support passage of bills to help volunteer-dependent groups confront insurance rate hikes, personal asset fears and lawsuits. Please contact Gordon P. MacDougall, Executive Director, National coalition for Volunteer Protection, Capitol Associates Inc., Stanton Park, 426 C Street, NE, Washington, D. C. 20002, (202)544-1880 (Fax: (202)543-2565) for further information.

regulatory efforts. He is the author of numerous articles and essays on horse law, taxation and legislation, as well as the AHC booklet "Equine Syndications and Partnerships."

AT THE FINISH LINE Joint Resolution 345, designating the week of March 1-7, 1990 as"National Quarter Horse Week," has been intxoduced in the U. S. House of Representatives by Rep. Bill Sarpalius of Texas. The measure, drafted on behalf of the American Quarter Horse Association, was referred to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service Senators Roth (R-DE), Leahy (D-VT) and Jeffords (R-VT) recently introduced a Joint Resolution to recognize the Bicentennial of the American Morgan Horse and to designate the period of October 9, 1989 through October 15, 1989 as National Morgan Horse Week. The resolution has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary. AHC Trustees Dr. Marvin Beeman and Wayne Van Vleet have been named Trustees Emeriti by the Morris Animal Foundation.

HICKEY JOINS HORSE COUNCIL STAFF AHC president Rich Rolapp, has announced the appointment of James J. (Jay) Hickey, Jr., as AHC counsel and director of government relations. He succeeds Tom Aronson, who has departed AHC after 8 years to become president of the Racing Resource Group, Inc. in Alexandria, VA. Hickey has worked with the law firm of Sen. George A. Smathers, AHC's first general counsel, for the past 14 years. Prior to that, he was special counsel for the division of market regulation of the Securities & Exchange Commission for 4 years. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law School and the University of Notre Dame. In his new role, Hickey will assume oversight of AHC's various legislative and

EQUINEVETERINARYSCIENCE