BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2048|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2048
Author: Silva (R)
Amended: 4/9/08 in Assembly
Vote: 27
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/24/08
AYES: Florez, Battin, Denham, Harman, Negrete McLeod,
Padilla, Vincent, Wiggins, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 72-1, 5/15/08 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Horse racing: harness or quarter horse races:
out-of-state
or out-of-country
SOURCE : Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association
DIGEST : This bill increases the amount of races a
harness and quarter horse racing association may import in
live racing days from six to eight races.
ANALYSIS : Existing law authorizes the California Horse
Racing Board (CHRB) to regulate the various forms of horse
racing authorized in the state.
Existing law authorizes a licensed harness racing
association that is conducting a live racing meeting in
CONTINUED
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this state to accept wagers on the full card of races
conducted by another racing association on the day that
other association conducts the Breeder's Crown Stakes, the
Meadowlands Pace, the Hambletonian, or the North American
Cup.
Existing law authorizes a licensed quarter horse racing
association that is conducting a live racing meeting in
this state to accept wagers on races conducted by the
racing association that conducts the American Quarter Horse
Racing Challenge, if the races are conducted on the same
day as the American Quarter Horse Racing Challenge.
Existing law provides that CHRB is authorized to permit a
harness or quarter horse association conducting a race
meeting to accept wagers on the results of out-of-state,
out-of-country, and sometimes other harness or quarter
horse races, if specified conditions are met, including
that the association conducts at least seven live races and
imports not more than six races on live racing days, as
specified.
Existing law authorizes the inclusion of wagers in the
pari-mutuel pools of the out-of-state association that
conducts the races on which the wagers are places.
Existing law authorizes thoroughbred racing associations or
fairs to distribute the audiovisual signal and accept
wagers on the results of certain out-of-state and
international thoroughbred races during the calendar period
the association or fairs is conducting live racing,
including days on which there is no live racing being
conducted by the association or fair.
Existing law limits the number of races that may be
imported by associations and fairs to no more than 23 races
per day on days when live thoroughbred or fair racing is
being conducted in this state, with specified conditions.
Existing law exempts from that 23-race per day limit races
imported that are part of the race card of certain
prominent races, including the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky
Oaks, the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, the Jockey
Club Gold Cup, the Breeders' Cup, or the Haskell
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Invitational.
This bill:
1.Increases the amount of races a harness or quarter horse
racing association may import (out-of-state or
out-of-country) on live racing days from six to eight
races.
2.Provides the harness or quarter horse association shall
get approval from the CHRB and the horsemen's
organization contracting with the association, as
specified.
Comments
Under existing law, there is a limit on the number of
imported races that can be simulcast for wagering purposes
by licensed harness and Quarter Horse racing associations.
This bill, if enacted, allows a harness or Quarter Horse
racing association to increase the amount of races each
association may import on live racing days from six to
eight races. These additional races will give more
flexibility in scheduling simulcast races, while not
exceeding the cap on the number of simulcast races
statutorily permitted to take place each year.
In the late 1990's, California racetracks began importing
additional races from out-of-state locations to provide
California's horse racing patrons with the opportunity to
wager on quality races offered by racetracks throughout the
country. Since the introduction of this practice (which,
incidentally is authorized in many other states that
likewise allow pari-mutuel wagering on horse races),
wagering on these out-of-state races has been well received
by the betting patron, as evidenced by the modest increase
in overall wagering activity. This bill also helped this
industry offset a continued reduction in on-track wagering
activity.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/4/08)
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Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association (source)
Los Alamitos Race Course
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the sponsor of this
bill, the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association,
the revenues derived from this bill will help to support
the breeding, owning and racing of California harness and
Quarter Horses and supplement the existing breeding
incentive programs.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Aghazarian, Arambula, Beall, Benoit, Berg,
Berryhill, Brownley, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeSaulnier,
DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fuentes,
Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garcia, Hancock,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Horton, Houston, Huff, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Keene, Krekorian, La Malfa, Laird, Leno,
Levine, Lieu, Ma, Maze, Mendoza, Nakanishi, Nava, Niello,
Nunez, Parra, Plescia, Portantino, Price, Sharon Runner,
Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Smyth, Solorio, Spitzer,
Strickland, Swanson, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Walters,
Wolk, Bass
NOES: Anderson
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Dymally, Garrick, Karnette,
Lieber, Mullin, Soto
TSM:cm 8/4/08 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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