RS 165 - Funds of the commission; purses and breeders' awards; withholds; promotion and research
A.(1) Out of the funds appropriated by the legislature for the expenses and operation of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the commission shall allocate and use annually the sum of seven hundred thousand dollars or a sum equal to three-tenths of one percent of the total gross pari-mutuel handle wagered annually on all horse races at all tracks where pari-mutuel wagering is conducted at race meetings of racing associations and at offtrack wagering facilities authorized and licensed by the commission, whichever sum is greater, to make special awards to stallion owners whose Louisiana stallions have sired accredited Louisiana bred horses, finishing first, second, or third in a stake, handicap, or allowance race, exclusive of maiden races, for thoroughbred horses upon which pari-mutuel wagering is conducted at race meetings of racing associations and at offtrack wagering facilities authorized and licensed by the commission and to supplement purses and to make special breeder awards to the breeders of accredited Louisiana bred horses finishing first, second, or third in any race for accredited Louisiana bred thoroughbred horses upon which pari-mutuel wagering is conducted at race meetings of racing associations and at offtrack wagering facilities authorized and licensed by the commission. Special awards to stallion owners shall also be made to owners whose Louisiana stallions have sired accredited Louisiana bred horses finishing first, second, or third in out-of-state stakes races with purses of at least twenty-five thousand dollars, added.
(2) The breeder award herein authorized shall be paid and disbursed to the breeder who becomes entitled thereto pursuant to the provisions hereof, according to a schedule or formula and within a period which is or shall be established by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Any purse supplement herein authorized and paid by the commission shall in no case exceed the amount provided as a purse by the racing association conducting the race meeting in this state or the races conducted in any other state as provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. Monies for the awards as provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, shall be transferred by the commission to the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association for disbursement to the entitled breeders.
(3) The stallion award herein authorized shall be paid and disbursed to the stallion owner who becomes entitled thereto pursuant to the provisions hereof, according to a schedule or formula and within a period which is or shall be established by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, but not later than the thirtieth day of June of each year commencing June 30, 1979. In no event shall the total amount to be distributed and paid in any calendar year as stallion awards exceed an amount equal to twenty percent of the sum of seven hundred thousand dollars or twenty percent of a sum equal to three-tenths of one percent of the total gross pari-mutuel handle wagered annually on all horse races at all tracks where pari-mutuel wagering is conducted at race meetings of racing associations and at offtrack wagering facilities authorized and licensed by the commission, whichever sum is greater.
(4) As used in this Subsection, the following definitions are adopted:
(a) "Accredited Louisiana bred" means a thoroughbred foaled in the state of Louisiana and registered in the registry administered by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association pursuant to such rules and regulations therefor established by said association and/or a thoroughbred conceived and foaled in the state of Louisiana and sired by a Louisiana stallion registered in the registry administered by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association pursuant to such rules and regulations therefor established by said association.
(b) "Breeder" means the owner of the mare at the time the mare foals an accredited Louisiana bred.
(c) "Stallion owner" means the owner of a stallion standing in the state of Louisiana at the time he was bred to the dam of an accredited Louisiana bred.
(d) "Races" means races upon which pari-mutuel wagering is conducted at race meetings of racing associations having races for thoroughbred horses and at offtrack wagering facilities, authorized and licensed by the Louisiana State Racing Commission. It shall also include those out-of-state races as provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
B.(1) Out of the funds appropriated by the legislature for the expenses and operation of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the commission shall allocate and use annually the sum of eight hundred thousand dollars to make special stallion awards to the owners of stallions of accredited Louisiana bred offspring which finish first, second, or third, in a stake, handicap, or allowance race, exclusive of maiden races, for quarter horses run at any track licensed by the commission; and to supplement purses and to make special breeders' awards to the breeders of accredited Louisiana bred quarter horses which finish first, second, or third in a race or races for accredited Louisiana bred quarter horses conducted at a race meeting or meetings in Louisiana. However, the awards paid under the provisions of this Subsection shall be considered as an overhead expense of the commission and paid without regard to the track where quarter horses are running, the payment of this award not to be considered an expense solely of the track or tracks running quarter horses.
(2) The breeder award herein authorized shall be paid and disbursed to the breeder who becomes entitled thereto pursuant to the provisions hereof, according to the schedule or formula which is or shall be established by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association, not later than the thirtieth day following the close of the race meeting at which the breeder award was earned. Any such purse supplement herein authorized and paid shall in no case exceed the amount provided as a purse by the licensee conducting the race meeting. Monies for the awards as provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, shall be transferred by the commission to the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association for disbursement to the entitled breeders.
(3) The stallion award herein authorized shall be paid and disbursed to the owner of the stallion who becomes entitled thereto pursuant to the provisions hereof, according to the schedule or formula which is or shall be established by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association, not later than the thirtieth day following June 30, 1979 and the thirtieth day of June of each year thereafter. However, in no event shall the total amount to be distributed and paid in any fiscal year as a stallion award exceed an amount equal to eighteen percent of eight hundred thousand dollars.
C. The licensee conducting the race meeting for which supplements for purses are provided under this Section or R.S. 4:167 shall withhold two percent of the total supplemental purse which is supplemented from funds made available under this Section or from breakage monies as provided in R.S. 4:167. The amounts so withheld from the supplemental purses provided for in Subsection (A) of this Section shall be paid to the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the amounts so withheld from the supplemental purses provided for in Subsection (B) of this Section shall be paid to the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association for use by these associations for operating and administrative expenses. However, in the case of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association, the amounts so withheld shall be used solely for expenses of the administration and operation of programs benefiting and pertaining to racing quarter horses. The amounts deducted from the supplemental purses as provided for in R.S. 4:167 shall be paid to the association which represents the Louisiana horses for which said races were written, as the case may be.
D. Out of the funds appropriated by the legislature for the expenses and operation of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the commission shall allocate and provide annually to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry the sum of sixty thousand dollars to be used to promote and advance the development of the horse racing industry in Louisiana through the publication and dissemination of information relating solely to the horse breeding and horse racing industries of Louisiana.
E. Out of the funds appropriated by the legislature for the expenses and operation of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the commission shall allocate and use annually a sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to be used by the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association to develop, promote, and provide research relative to accredited Louisiana-bred cutting and show horses.
F. All meetings of any association making awards in accordance with the provisions of this Section which relate to the distribution of such awards paid from public funds or which relate to the election of officers of such association shall be subject to the requirements of R.S. 42:11 et seq. regarding open meetings.
Acts 1968, No. 554, §1. Amended by Act 1969, No. 36, §2; Acts 1972, No. 733, §1; Acts 1975, No. 272, §3, eff. July 16, 1975; Acts 1976, No. 340, §1, eff. July 31, 1976; Acts 1978, No. 144, §1, eff. June 29, 1978; Acts 1979, No. 238, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1979; Acts 1981, No. 491, §1; Acts 1983, No. 514, §2, eff. July 8, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 766, §1, No. 767, §1; Acts 1986, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 37, §1; Acts 1987, No. 780, §1; Acts 1988, No. 989, §1; Acts 1989, No. 628, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §3; Acts 1999, No. 482, §1; Acts 2010, No. 443, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 49, §1.