BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 830|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 830
Author: Senate Governmental Organization Committee
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE : 12-0, 4/28/09
AYES: Wright, Harman, Benoit, Calderon, Denham, Florez,
Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Wiggins, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Horse racing law: intent
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill clarifies the policy purpose of Horse
Racing Law, reflecting the changes made to the law pursuant
to the enactment of SB 16XX (Ashburn), Chapter 12, Statutes
of 2009 Second Extraordinary Session.
ANALYSIS : Article IV, Section 19(b) of the Constitution
of the State of California provides that the Legislature
may provide for the regulation of horse races and horse
race meetings and wagering on the results.
Existing law provides that the intent of California's Horse
Racing Law is to allow parimutuel wagering on horse racing
while:
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1. Assuring protection of the public.
2. Encouraging agriculture and the breeding of horses in
this state.
3. Supporting the network of California fairs.
4. Providing for maximum expansion of horse racing
opportunities in the public interest.
5. Providing uniformity of regulation for each type of
horse racing.
This bill deletes "supporting, the network of California
fairs" from the intent of existing law.
Background
In 1933, California voters passed a constitutional
amendment authorizing parimutuel wagering on horse racing.
The commitment to use a percentage of the wagers to
establish a continuous funding source for the fairs, while
at the same time, relieving the state's General Fund of the
funding burden became socially and politically palatable in
1933 as the country began to pull out of the Great
Depression.
SB 16XX authorizes the appropriation of $32 million a year
from the state's General Fund in support of the fairs and
relieves the horse racing industry of its obligation to
fund the fairs from license fees assessed on horse racing
wagers. As such, this bill modifies the stated policy
purpose of the Horse Racing Law to reflect the changes
brought about by SB 16XX.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
TSM:do 5/13/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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