BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2005|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2005
Author: Chesbro (D) and Levine (D)
Amended: 4/24/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE : 7-3, 6/24/14
AYES: Correa, De Le�n, Galgiani, Hernandez, Lieu, Padilla,
Torres
NOES: Berryhill, Cannella, Vidak
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 69-5, 5/19/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California Horse Racing Board: membership
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill expands the membership of the California
Horse Racing Board (CHRB), from seven to 11 members, by adding
four members of the Legislature (two appointed by the Senate
Rules Committee and two appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly) as non-voting, ex-officio members.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Provides that the expressed intent of the "Horse Racing Law"
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is to allow parimutuel wagering on horse races, while (a)
assuring protection of the public; (b) encouraging
agriculture and the breeding of horses in this state; (c)
providing for maximum expansion of horse racing opportunities
in the public interest; and (d) providing uniformity of
regulation for each type of horse racing.
2. Provides for a CHRB consisting of seven members appointed by
the Governor. The mission of CHRB is to ensure the
integrity, viability, and safety of the state's horse racing
industry by regulating parimutuel wagering for the protection
of the public, promoting horse racing, breeding, and wagering
opportunities, and fostering safe racing through the
development and enforcement of track safety standards and
regulations for the health and welfare of all participants.
3. Provides that each CHRB member shall hold office for a term
of four years and each member is eligible for reappointment
at the discretion of the Governor. Any vacancy must be
filled by the Governor for the unexpired term. Additionally,
each member of CHRB is entitled to receive a per diem of $100
for each day spent in attendance at official meetings and be
reimbursed for travel and other expenses necessarily incurred
in the performance of official duties.
This bill:
1. Expands the membership of CHRB from seven to 11 members by
adding four members of the Legislature as non-voting,
ex-officio members.
2. Specifies that two members will appointed by the Senate
Rules Committee, of which one member must be from a
legislative district in the northern zone and one member from
a district in the southern zone. Also, provides that the
Speaker of the Assembly shall appoint two members, one from a
legislative district in the northern zone and one member from
a district in the central zone.
3. Stipulates that legislative members appointed to CHRB shall
(a) serve a term of no more than two years, with no limit on
the number of terms that may be served; (b) be ineligible to
serve on CHRB subcommittees; and (c) not receive per diem or
reimbursement for traveling or other expenses from CHRB.
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4. Strikes obsolete provisions of Horse Racing Law and makes
other technical, clarifying and code maintenance changes.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill is intended to
provide more legislative participation and oversight of CHRB.
CHRB members are appointed by the Governor, and make critical
decisions relating to the viability of communities through
allocation of racing dates. Changes in the horse racing
calendar can financially impact those communities. It simply
makes sense that the Legislature should have some role in CHRB
since the decisions made by CHRB affect their districts. There
are currently 61 boards and 32 commissions that have legislative
representation. This bill simply adds CHRB to the list of those
boards.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/31/14)
Sonoma County Fair
OPPOSITION : (Verified 7/31/14)
California Authority of Racing Fairs
Los Alamitos Race Course
Los Angeles County Fair
Oak Tree Racing
Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The Sonoma County Fair writes that "it
is vital that horse racing at the handful of California Fairs
that still run race meets be protected. By providing more
legislative oversight of the California Horse Racing Board, AB
2005 will guarantee that the cultural and historical value of
Fair racing is kept in the forefront of decision making."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : Opponents note that CHRB has done an
excellent job overseeing the industry for decades and that a
major change in CHRB's structure at this time is unwarranted.
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 69-5, 5/19/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gray, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue,
Lowenthal, Maienschein, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez,
Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski,
Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NOES: Conway, Donnelly, Gorell, Grove, Jones
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ch�vez, Gordon, Mansoor, Nazarian, Nestande,
Vacancy
MW:k 8/5/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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