Bill Text: MI HB6501 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Gaming: horse racing; pari-mutuel wagering on horse races at county fairs; allow, and modify certain licensing procedures. Amends secs. 12 & 14 of 1995 PA 279 (MCL 431.312 & 431.314).
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-11-30 - Bill Electronically Reproduced 11/30/2022 [HB6501 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2021-HB6501-Introduced.html
HOUSE BILL NO. 6501
A bill to amend 1995 PA 279, entitled
"Horse racing law of 1995,"
by amending sections 12 and 14 (MCL 431.312 and 431.314), as amended by 2016 PA 271.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 12. (1) An Except as provided in subsection (12), an applicant for a license to conduct a thoroughbred race meeting shall apply to conduct not fewer than 30 days of live thoroughbred racing during its proposed race meeting. Except during the opening and closing week of a race meeting, the applicant shall apply to conduct live racing not fewer than 2 days per week, with not fewer than 8 live horse races programmed, and shall conduct live racing programs on the days allocated by the racing commissioner. The commissioner shall allocate not fewer than 10 days of live horse racing to a race meeting licensee with not fewer than 6 programmed live races per allocated day.
(2) An Except as provided in subsection (12), an applicant for a license to conduct a standardbred race meeting shall apply to conduct not fewer than 30 days of live standardbred harness horse racing during its proposed race meeting. Except during the opening and closing week of a race meeting, the applicant shall apply to conduct live horse racing not fewer than 2 days per week, with not fewer than 8 live horse races programmed, and shall conduct live racing programs on the days awarded. The commissioner shall allocate not fewer than 10 days of live horse racing to a race meeting licensee with not fewer than 6 programmed live races per allocated day.
(3) If Except as provided in subsection (13), if a race meeting licensee is unable to program and conduct 8 live horse races on a racing date awarded to the licensee because there are fewer than 5 entries in a race, the licensee shall not conduct any simulcasting on that day without the written consent of the certified horsemen's organization with which it has a contract.
(4) If a race meeting licensee is unable to conduct racing on a live racing date awarded to the licensee or fewer than 8 live horse races on an awarded live racing date because of a labor dispute, fire, adverse weather conditions, or other causes beyond the race meeting licensee's control, the race meeting licensee is considered to have conducted those races or that race date for purposes of this act and is not precluded from conducting any simulcasts because of the licensee's inability to conduct those live races or that race date.
(5) Intertrack simulcast races that a race meeting licensee contracts to receive from other racetracks that are canceled for any of the reasons described in subsection (4) are offered to the public for purposes of this act.
(6) If an entire race meeting or the balance of a race meeting and racing dates awarded to a licensee cannot be raced because of an act of God or significant physical damage to the licensed racetrack at which the race meeting was licensed to be conducted caused by fire or some other catastrophe, the racing commissioner may transfer those dates to another race meeting licensee upon application of the substitute licensee if the substitute licensee satisfies the requirements for licensure under this act and demonstrates that it has or will have a legal or contractual right to the use of a different licensed racetrack facility on the racing dates in question, and all race meeting licensees that will be conducting live racing on those dates within 50 miles of the substitute racetrack consent to the transfer.
(7) Notwithstanding anything in this act to the contrary, if the racing commissioner determines that 1 or more of the conditions listed in subsection (8) apply and the contracted certified horsemen's organization is in agreement, the racing commissioner may amend an existing race meeting license and simulcast permit to allow the licensee to continue simulcasting during the remaining period of the race meeting license. An amended license under this section may be issued by the racing commissioner at any time, including at the time of the initial issuance of the race meeting license for the upcoming year during which it is valid.
(8) The racing commissioner may issue an order amending a race meeting license under subsection (7) if he or she determines that the licensee is capable of conducting simulcast horse racing in accordance with this act and that 1 or more of the following conditions exist:
(a) There is inadequate horse supply for the licensee to conduct a live race meeting of at least 10 days with 6 races per day.
(b) There is inadequate funding of live racing purses to support the licensee's conducting of a live race meeting of at least 10 days with 6 races per day.
(c) There is no certified horsemen's organization operating in this state.
(9) In order to obtain an amended license issued under subsection (7) and satisfy the live racing requirements of this act, the licensee must have a written contract with a certified horsemen's organization to pay a percentage of its net commission from simulcasting to the live racing purse pool at another racetrack licensed under this act during the period when the amended license issued under subsection (7) is in effect. Unless otherwise provided in the written contract between the licensee and the certified horsemen's organization, the payment must be not less than 25% of net commission from simulcasting if only 1 certified horsemen's organization has a contract for live race days in this state for the calendar year. If both certified horsemen's organizations have a contract for live race dates in this state for the calendar year, the payment must be not more than 40% of the net commission from simulcasting.
(10) Subsections (7) to (9) apply only to amendments to a race meeting license for the purpose of allowing simulcast-only operations and are not limitations on or requirements for other race meeting license amendments the racing commissioner may approve or deny.
(11) Notwithstanding anything in this act to the contrary, if a race meeting licensee and the certified horsemen's organization with which the licensee has a contract jointly request that the licensee be allowed to conduct a live race meeting with fewer than 8 races per day, the racing commissioner shall approve the request and issue an order amending the license accordingly.
(12) The racing commissioner may grant a race meeting license to a county fair in this state. A county fair granted a race meeting license may conduct live horse races with pari-mutuel wagering under this act. To be granted a race meeting license, a county fair must meet all of the following qualifications:
(a) A county fair applicant for a license to conduct a horse race meeting shall apply to conduct not fewer than 20 days of live horse racing during its proposed race meeting.
(b) A county fair applicant for a license to conduct a horse race meeting shall apply to conduct live horse racing with no fewer than 8 live horse races programmed per racing day and no fewer than 8 horses per race.
(13) Subject to subsections (4) through (11), if a county fair holding a race meeting license is unable to program and conduct at least 6 live horse races on a racing date awarded to the licensee because there are fewer than 6 entries in a race, the licensee shall not conduct any pari-mutuel wagering or simulcasting on that day.
Sec. 14. (1) Before November 1 of the year preceding the year for which applications are made, the racing commissioner shall grant or deny each application for a race meeting license, allocate or deny the dates, for which application has been made, on which pari-mutuel wagering on live races may be conducted at each licensed race meeting in this state, and shall also determine whether the applicant may simulcast under section 18 during the calendar year for which the license is issued. The racing commissioner may grant a race meeting license for any time period up to 1 year during which the licensee may conduct live and simulcast horse races with pari-mutuel wagering on the results of the races.
(2) Subject to section 12(4), all simulcasting authorized by the racing commissioner must be conditioned on the holder of the license conducting not fewer than 8 live horse races on each live racing date allocated in the holder's race meeting license, unless this requirement is waived in writing by both the racing commissioner and the certified horsemen's organization with which the licensee has contracted.
(3) The Unless the organization is a county fair in this state, the racing commissioner shall not issue a race meeting license to an organization organized for a charitable purpose or organized for the purpose of distributing its profits or income to charitable organizations.
(4) Except as provided in section 12(4), (5), and (6), if after the issuance of a race meeting license the racing commissioner determines on further investigation that the holder of a race meeting license has not met, or will be unable to meet, the requirements of the license, the racing commissioner may impose a fine or suspend or revoke the race meeting license, or both, for all or part of the remainder of the time period for which the license was granted. Before making the required determination to impose a fine or suspend or revoke a race meeting license under this subsection, the racing commissioner shall consider whether the race meeting licensee's inability or failure to meet the requirements of its license is due to a cause beyond the control of the race meeting licensee.
(5) Any action taken by the racing commissioner under subsection (4) becomes effective 10 days after the holder of the race meeting license receives written notice unless the commissioner finds that the public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action and immediate effect of the commissioner's order.
(6) A denial of a race meeting license under subsection (3) may be appealed to the circuit court for judicial review under section 631 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.631. A suspension or revocation of a race meeting license may be appealed under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.
(7) Each applicant issued a race meeting license shall maintain an interest bearing account used exclusively to deposit all money due to horsemen's purse pools under this act. All money due to this account must be deposited within a reasonable time after receipt by the race meeting licensee. The name of the depository and the identification number of the account must be designated in each race meeting license application and all interest earned by the account must be credited to the purse pool and deposited in the account.
