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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
2025-2026; amusements
Purpose
Makes statutory and session law changes relating to amusements necessary to implement the FY 2026 state budget.
Background
The Arizona Constitution prohibits substantive law from being included in the general appropriations, capital outlay appropriations and supplemental appropriations bills. However, it is often necessary to make statutory and session law changes to effectuate the budget. Thus, separate bills called budget reconciliation bills (BRBs) are introduced to enact these provisions. Because BRBs contain substantive law changes, the Arizona Constitution provides that they become effective on the general effective date, unless an emergency clause is enacted.
S.B. 1736 contains the budget reconciliation provisions for changes relating to amusements.
Provisions
1. Requires the Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission (Commission) to deposit the revenues from the Commission license fees in the Unarmed Combat Subaccount in the Racing Regulation Fund, rather than directly in the Racing Regulation Fund.
2. Continues to require the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG), in FY 2026, to establish and collect, in addition to the amounts already authorized, a regulatory assessment from each commercial racing permittee in the amount of 0.5 percent of the amounts wagered, payable from pari-mutuel pools from in-state and out-of-state live and simulcast races.
3. Continues
to authorize the ADG, for race meetings in the years 2025 and 2026, to allow a
first-time starter horse to race as long as the horse has gate approval and at
least two timed workouts.
4. Requires one of the timed workouts to be an out-of-the-gate workout that is conducted within 60 days of the race in which the horse is entered.
5. Repeals the authorization for the ADG to allow gate approval for a first-time starter horse to race within 60 days of the race in which the horse is entered if the horse has gate approval and at least two timed workouts on January 1, 2027.
6. Makes technical and conforming changes.
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
June 16, 2025
JT/KP/ci