Creates the jockey health insurance reserve fund for the payment of premiums not yet paid; provides for the return of funds if such reserve fund becomes no longer necessary.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5921
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Racing and Wagering
AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in
relation to the creation of the jockey health insurance reserve fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 221-a of the racing, pari-mutuel
2 wagering and breeding law, as amended by chapter 243 of the laws of
3 2020, is amended to read as follows:
4 1. A franchised corporation shall, as a condition of racing, establish
5 a program to administer the purchase of health insurance for eligible
6 jockeys.
7 Such program shall be funded through the deposit of one and one-half
8 percent of the gross purse enhancement amount from video lottery gaming
9 at a thoroughbred track pursuant to paragraph two of subdivision b and
10 paragraph one of subdivision f of section sixteen hundred twelve of the
11 tax law. The franchised corporation shall establish a segregated account
12 for the receipt of these monies and these monies shall remain separate
13 from any other funds. Any corporation or association licensed pursuant
14 to this article shall pay into such account any amount due within ten
15 days of the receipt of revenue pursuant to section sixteen hundred
16 twelve of the tax law. Any portion of such funding to the account unused
17 during a calendar year, less an amount sufficient to cover anticipated
18 premium liabilities over the next sixty days, shall be returned on a pro
19 rata basis in accordance with the amounts originally contributed and
20 shall be used for the purpose of enhancing purses at such tracks.
21 Provided, however, if a corporation or association licensed pursuant to
22 this article provides an alternative source of funding for this program,
23 an amount equal to this alternative funding, but not in excess of the
24 amount originally contributed during the year from the gross purse
25 enhancement amount from video lottery gaming attributable to such corpo-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06894-01-5
A. 5921 2
1 ration or association, shall be returned to the corporation or associ-
2 ation and used for the purpose of enhancing purses at such track.
3 Provided, further, any such alternative source of funding must be
4 approved by the commission. Provided, however, an additional segregated
5 account may be established with such monies as a reserve fund for the
6 payment of premiums not yet paid. The amount paid into such fund during
7 any calendar year, if any, shall be upon the approval of the franchised
8 corporation and the jockey's organization that represents at least
9 fifty-one percent of eligible active jockeys. If, after the establish-
10 ment of such fund, a determination is made that such fund is no longer
11 needed, the monies remaining in such fund shall be returned on a pro
12 rata basis in accordance with the amounts originally contributed and
13 shall be used for the purposes of enhancing purses at such tracks.
14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
