Relates to creating a racing fan advisory board to provide advice to the state racing and wagering board on issues related to horse racing and wagering; establishes an I Love NY Racing promotion and the New York State Horse Racing Farm of the Year Award.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3659
SPONSOR: Pretlow TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law and
the economic development law, in relation to creating a racing fan advi-
sory board and establishing an I Love NY Racing promotion
PURPOSE:
To promote horse racing in New York State.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Creates a racing fan advisory board.
Section 2: Creates an award for the New York State Horse Racing Farm of
the Year similar to other awards relating to agriculture.
Section 3. Creates an I Love NY Racing promotion, subject to appropri-
ation.
Section 4: Effective date.E
EXISTING LAW:
Does not have a racing fall advisory board, an agricultural award for
Horse Racing Farm of the year; or an I Love NY Racing promotion.
JUSTIFICATION:
Horse racing has a direct and indirect York State both on and off
tracks. The base and the promotion of the sport of success of the sport.
This legislation fans in developing the sport of racing racing. role in
thousands of jobs in New development of the racing fan racing is crit-
ical to the future seeks to better involve racing and promoting the
sport of
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022 A1896 referred to racing and wagering
01/17/17 referred to racing and wagering
01/03/18 referred to racing and wagering
2019-2020 A4621 referred to racing and wagering
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
costs of setting up the Racing None known other than the administrative
Fan Advisory Board.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3659
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Racing and Wagering
AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law and
the economic development law, in relation to creating a racing fan
advisory board and establishing an I Love NY Racing promotion
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law is
2 amended by adding a new section 912 to read as follows:
3 § 912. Racing fan advisory board. 1. There is hereby created a racing
4 fan advisory board to provide advice to the New York state gaming
5 commission on issues related to horse racing and wagering.
6 2. The racing fan advisory board shall be a seven member board
7 appointed by the governor as follows: three persons appointed by the
8 governor; one person appointed by the governor upon the recommendation
9 of the temporary president of the senate; one person appointed by the
10 governor upon the recommendation of the speaker of the assembly; one
11 person appointed by the governor upon the joint recommendation of the
12 chairpersons of the senate committee on racing, wagering and gaming and
13 the assembly committee on racing and wagering; one member appointed by
14 the governor upon the recommendation of the members of the New York
15 state gaming commission. The chairperson of the advisory board shall be
16 selected by the governor and serve in that position at the governor's
17 pleasure. No member of the board shall own more than one horse, or
18 portion of an interest in a horse, which races competitively in any
19 calendar year at any race track licensed or regulated by the New York
20 state gaming commission.
21 3. Of the three members appointed by the governor, the following qual-
22 ifications shall be considered prior to appointment: involvement with a
23 non-profit corporation which seeks to promote fan development in the
24 sport of horse racing; or employment with an off-track-betting corpo-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08395-01-3
A. 3659 2
1 ration established pursuant to this chapter; or certification and licen-
2 sure as a veterinarian with a practice devoted primarily to horses.
3 4. Each member shall be appointed for a term of seven years, except
4 the first member appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of
5 the chairpersons of the senate racing, wagering and gaming committee and
6 assembly racing and wagering committee, who shall be appointed for a
7 term of one year; and the first member appointed by the governor upon
8 the recommendation of the speaker of the assembly and the temporary
9 president of the senate shall be appointed to terms of three years; and
10 the members appointed by the governor who shall have the aforementioned
11 experience shall be appointed to terms of five years; and the member
12 appointed by the governor, upon the recommendation of the members of the
13 New York state gaming commission shall be appointed to a term of seven
14 years. Vacancies shall be filled by the manner of the appointment of
15 the vacated position for the unexpired term.
16 5. The members of the racing fan advisory board shall serve without
17 compensation but may request and shall receive assistance from the New
18 York state gaming commission for information relating to horse racing in
19 New York state. The members of the racing fan advisory board may be
20 reimbursed for their necessary and actual expenses in the performance of
21 their duties under this section. The members of the racing fan advisory
22 board shall be issued a license by the New York state gaming commission
23 which shall provide them access to the track and back stretch of all New
24 York state licensed facilities during the length of their term on the
25 racing fan advisory board. Members shall be required to file an oath of
26 office, and each year of his or her term, shall make annual financial
27 disclosures as if they were a policy making employee of the state under
28 section seventy-three-a of the public officers law. Meetings of the
29 racing fan advisory board shall be called by the chairperson of the
30 racing fan advisory board, or by the chairperson of the New York state
31 gaming commission, or by written notice to both such chairpersons by
32 three members of the racing fan advisory board, in which case the chair-
33 person of the New York state gaming commission shall convene such a
34 meeting of the racing fan advisory board by actual notice to all such
35 members of the racing fan advisory board.
36 6. The racing fan advisory board shall:
37 (a) meet pursuant to the requirements of article seven of the public
38 officers law;
39 (b) advise the New York state gaming commission on issues related to
40 horse racing and wagering;
41 (c) make reports to the New York state gaming commission regarding the
42 operation of the thoroughbred and harness race tracks and advise as to
43 whether the operator of races at such tracks, based on information
44 available to the racing fan advisory board, is serving the growth of the
45 sport of thoroughbred racing;
46 (d) have as their mission the growth of the fan base related to the
47 sport of racing; and
48 (e) advise the New York state gaming commission on appropriate actions
49 to encourage fan attendance at horse racing tracks or at off-track-bet-
50 ting corporations organized under this chapter or any successor entity
51 of such organization licensed by the New York state gaming commission.
52 § 2. Subdivision 18-c of section 100 of the economic development law,
53 as amended by chapter 572 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as
54 follows:
55 18-c. to establish, in cooperation with the commissioner of agricul-
56 ture and markets, procedures for proposing nominations, including proce-
A. 3659 3
1 dures to coordinate with such commissioner to determine which department
2 shall make nominations for awards in categories that may be similar to
3 those listed in subdivision nine of section three hundred nine of the
4 agriculture and markets law to the governor for four annual, non-mone-
5 tary awards to be known as: (a) New York State Direct Farm Marketing
6 Award; (b) New York State Agri-Tourism Award; (c) New York State
7 Specialty Food Product Award; [and] (d) New York Animal or Plant Fiber
8 and Textile Award; and (e) New York State Horse Racing Farm of the Year
9 Award. These awards shall be given in recognition of exceptional or
10 unusual efforts by farmers, food processors, food retailers, fiber
11 processors, and textile manufacturers and retailers for the marketing of
12 New York state grown agricultural commodities, foods processed from or
13 primarily containing New York state agricultural commodities, or
14 textiles manufactured in New York state from animal or plant fiber grown
15 or produced predominantly in New York state and for promoting New York
16 state farms that are also tourist destinations, and horse breeding and
17 racing farms which are recognized as helping to develop New York's
18 horse racing industry.
19 § 3. I Love NY Racing promotion. The New York state gaming commission
20 shall, in cooperation with the racing fan advisory board, and in cooper-
21 ation with the commissioner of agriculture and markets, and the commis-
22 sioner of economic development, create an I Love NY Racing promotion.
23 Such promotion shall cause grants to be made to the racing industry
24 pursuant to appropriation for such purpose. Such grants shall be made to
25 tourism promotion agencies and not-for-profit corporations, who shall
26 work with the racing fan advisory board to develop the promotion of
27 harness and thoroughbred racing. Such promotions shall include tours of
28 race tracks, horse training and breeding farms, and educational events
29 to teach racing fans about the sport of horse racing.
30 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
