BILL NUMBER:S3703

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in relation
to providing funding to support education, promotion and protection of
the standardbred breeding industry

PURPOSE:
To provide a secure, stable funding stream from the
Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund to
support the education, promotion and protection of the standardbred
breeding industry.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 332 Racing Pari-mutual Wagering and Breeding law is amended to
provide a percentage of funding from the Agriculture and New York
State Horse Breeding Development Fund to enhance the educational,
administrative and promotional efforts of the Harness Horse breeders
of New York State.

JUSTIFICATION:
The New York Sire Stakes program, established in 1961, was created by
the Harness Horse Breeders of New York State (HHBNY) and was the
first program of its kind developed in North America and later became
the model for the state-bred racing programs in nearly all of the
              

major harness racing states and provinces on the continent. HHBNY was
also instrumental in establishing the Agriculture and New York State
Horse Breeding Development Fund, which collects a portion of handle
to redistribute to state bred horses through the New York Sire Stakes
program. Under the leadership of the Fund and in a concert with HHBNY,
purses for the New York Sire Stakes have grown from 300,000 in 1961,
to over $13 million today.

HHBNY has a longstanding history of planning and managing the New York
Sire Stakes racing program, while working to educate the public about
standardbred breeding and racing in New York. For almost 50 years,
the Fund has contracted with the organization to layoff staff and
curtail their critical duties. This bill seeks to remove HHBNY from
yearly contract uncertainty and provide a steady, secure funding
stream from the Fund to the organization so that they can best
fulfill their longstanding and critical duties

EXISTING LAW:
2010: S.7146 Held in Racing, Gaming & Wagering

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the General Fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall a take effect immediately.