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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session |
House: LAG DP 5-0-0-2-0-0 | APPROP DPA 9-2-0-0-0-0 |
HB 2723: county fair racing; council; appropriations
Sponsor: Representative Dunn, LD 13
House Engrossed
Overview
Establishes the Arizona Quarter Horse Racing Circuit Coordinating Council (Council) and directs this council to develop a coordinated racing schedule and advise the Arizona Department of Gaming (Department) on creating an application process and awarding a permit for an Arizona quarter horse racing circuit.
History
The Department regulates pari-mutuel horse racing and wagering. Pari-mutuel wagering is a form of wagering on an event outcome in which all wagers are pooled and held by a body for distribution of the total amount, less deductions authorized by law, to holders of tickets on the winning contestants (A.R.S. § 5-101(23)).
The Department has currently three funds which are intended to help county fair racing:
1) The Arizona County Fairs Racing Betterment Fund provides monies to county fair association or county fair racing association of each county conducting a county fair racing meeting based on how much the Department deems necessary to promote these meetings. A county fair association must provide annual certification in the Department-required form to support expenditures made from this fund (A.R.S. § 5-113(B)); and
2) The County Fair Racing Fund provides monies for administering county fair racing (A.R.S. § 5-113(I)).
3) The Rural County Fair Racing Fund, which was created in 2018, provides matching grants to counties with less than 800,000 people that operate county fair racing. A county is not eligible for a grant unless it agrees to contribute revenues for county fair racing that amount to at least 50% of the grant amount. Grants are capped at $40,000. This fund was appropriated $200,000 in FY 2019. Monies in this fund are continuously appropriated (Laws 2018, Ch. 318, §11).
The Arizona Racing Commission (Commission), which is located within the Department, reviews and approves permits for horse and harness racing. The Commission requires each horse racing permittee to conduct an average of at least two races for quarter horses for each day of racing. However, the Commission can rescind this requirement if the permittee offers acceptable quarter horse races but an honest effort is not being made to fill these races with horseman (A.R.S. § 5-110(B)).
Provisions
1. Establishes the Council consisting of one member appointed by each county board of supervisors. (Sec. 1)
2. Instructs Council members to select a chairperson. (Sec. 1)
3. Prohibits Council members from receiving compensation and reimbursements for travel expenses. (Sec. 1)
4. Directs the Council to:
a) Coordinate with each county fair racing association to promote an Arizona quarter horse racing circuit with each participating county fair;
b) Develop a coordinated racing schedule with no more than six participating county fair racing associations beginning with the 2021 racing season; and
c) Advise the Department on creating an application process and awarding a single permit for this circuit. (Sec. 1)
5. Repeals the Council on July 1, 2023. (Sec. 2)
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9. Initials PAB House Engrossed
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