California Senate Bill SB1523 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1523INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Strickland FEBRUARY 24, 2012 An act to amend Section 19640 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to horse racing, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1523, as introduced, Strickland. Horse racing: fund for retired race horses. Existing law, the Horse Racing Law, generally regulates horse racing and vests the administration and enforcement of the Horse Racing Law in the California Horse Racing Board. Existing law provides that all money representing penalties or fines imposed by the stewards of a horse race meeting shall be collected by the licensee of the meeting and paid to the board within 10 days after its close. Existing law requires the board to deposit the money in the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund. Existing law also requires that various fees are payable to the state as license fees, such as the fees imposed upon fair associations for every live racing meeting conducted by the associations. This bill would require the board to deposit all money representing penalties or fines imposed by the stewards of a horse race meeting and all money representing license fees paid to the board into the Fund for Retired California Race Horses, which would be established by the bill as a continuously appropriated fund, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the board to adopt regulations for the management and distribution of funds deposited in the Fund for Retired California Race Horses that would establish a grant request process under which a portion of the funds collected would be allocated to nonprofit organizations that operate rehabilitation and retirement facilities located in this state for the care of retired California race horses. The bill would also authorize the board to enter into an agreement with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the rehabilitation and retraining of retired California race horses. Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 19640 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 19640.  (a)    All money representing penalties or fines imposed by the stewards of a horse race meeting shall be collected by the licensee of the meeting and paid to the board within 10 days after its close, and the board shall deposit all such money in the State Treasury to the credit of the  General  Fund    for Retired   California Race Horses, which is hereby established  .  Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys in the fund shall be continuously appropriated to the board for the purposes described in this section.   (b) Notwithstanding any other law, all money representing license fees paid to the board shall be deposited by the board into the fund.   (c) The board shall adopt regulations for the management and distribution of moneys deposited in the Fund for Retired California Race Horses. Those regulations shall establish a grant request process and conditions under which a portion of the funds collected as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall be allocated to board-approved nonprofit organizations that operate rehabilitation and retirement facilities located in this state for the care of retired California race horses. The board may also enter into an agreement with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the rehabilitation and retraining of retired California race horses.