Bill Summary for Bill Number HB09-1152

Date: 02/04/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1152

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment J). The motion Moved to refer House Bill 09-1152, as amended, to	Pass Without Objection PASS

06:37 PM -- House Bill 09-1152

Representative Sonnenberg, bill sponsor, presented the bill concerning horse racing. The bill authorizes two new methods of conducting pari-mutuel wagering on horse races including advance deposit account wagering and historical horse racing. He answered questions from the community and amendment L.001 was distributed (Attachment J).

06:48 PM -- Ira Rhodes, Cunningham Fire Protection District, spoke against the bill. He indicated that the lottery commission has not had much experience managing facilities. He expressed concern about the bill's impact on the saftey of facilities.

06:54 PM -- Representative Sonnenberg answered questions about how the percents related to the distribution of the cash fund created in the bill were determined. Questions also concerned how the bill would impact the general fund.

06:58 PM -- Rod Backenfeld, Arapahoe County Commissioner, stated that the board of county commissioners are opposed to the bill. He distributed a letter from the Arapahoe County Sheriff (Attachment K). He expressed concern about the impacts the bill would have for crime enforcement. He answered questions from the committee concerning live simulcast racing at dog tracks and horse tracks, the impact the bill may have on crime, and land use compliance issues. Commissioner Backenfeld discussed the infrastructure improvements that would be needed if the bill were to pass.

07:15 PM -- Chad Hills, Analyst for Gambling Research for Focus on the Family, testified in opposition to the bill. He distributed a packet of materials (Attachment L). He walked through the materials in the packet and talked about the population that is contained in a 50-mile radius around existing gaming opportunities now, and the new areas that would be impacted if this peri-mutuel opporunity were allowed in Colorado. Mr. Hills responded to questions from the committee.

07:25 PM -- Mr. Hills continued his testimony and responded to a question about Focus on the Family's opposition to gambling in general and some of the statistics contained in his materials.

07:29 PM -- Mark Grueskin, Colorado Gaming Association, discussed the types of devices that qualify as a slot machines. A handout was distributed that quoted statutory definitions of slot machines (Attachment M). He showed pictures on an easel of what the machines in the bill would likely look like. Mr. Grueskin ended by saying that by his interpretation, the machines being proposed qualify as slot machines according to the Colorado constitution and therefore the bill requires a public vote. Mr. Grueskin responded to questions from the committee about children's game machines.

07:47 PM

The following individuals testified in favor of the bill:

07:47 PM -- Jim Heird, equine industry, testified in support of the bill. He described the various aspects of the industry and explained how the bill would benefit community colleges. He answered questions from the committee.

08:01 PM

Representative Sonnenberg responded to questions regarding pages 9 and 10 of the bill, especially lines 7-10 of page 10.

08:06 PM -- Louis Cella, Instant Racing, discussed horse racing trends currently in the U.S. He provided several examples of where pari-mutuel racing has decreased. He stated that he sees this bill as a way to modernize racing and expand the fan base. He distributed pictures of the racing machines (Attachment N) and described how instant racing works. He discussed how instant racing is already taking place in Colorado. He answered questions from the committee and distributed a packet of information that further describes pari-mutuel racing (a copy of this packet is available on file at the State Archives).

08:27 PM -- Vaughn Cook, representing the breeding industry, spoke in support of the bill. He explained that he and his wife raise race horses and that they support the bill because it provides a way for the horse industry to flourish in the state. He also described his family's history with raising horses.

08:34 PM -- Tony Grasich, Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association, spoke in favor of the bill and distributed a packet of information (Attachment O) that includes information about the economic activity in each state generated by horse racing as well as other statistics. He described the economic impact of the racing industry in Colorado. He described all of the horsemen's organizations that are supporting the bill. He addressed the committee's earlier question on page 10, section 2 of the bill. He explained the intent of the language in this section of the bill.

08:51 PM -- Mr. Cella answered an additional question from the committee regarding comparisons of economic benefits in other states. He also answered a question about the impact of racing on horse breeding programs.

08:54 PM -- Dan Issel, representing thoroughbred owners and breeders, spoke in favor of the bill and described how the bill will work towards reviving the horse industry in Colorado.

08:57 PM -- John Corbin, American Paint Horse Association, spoke in favor of the bill.

08:58 PM -- Chris Whitney, Colorado Horse Alliance representing himself, spoke in favor of the bill.

08:59 PM -- Dr. Marvin Beeman, equine veterinarian, spoke in support of the bill and described the benefit the bill would have for the horse industry.

09:03 PM -- Mark McGreggor, Colorado Horse Racing Association, representing himself, spoke in favor of the bill. He described the work that went into the bill as a grassroots effort. He stated that the bill would modernize the industry.

09:06 PM

Representative Sonnenberg answered questions from the committee about whether the bill would continue to require facilities to have live racing and the authority of the racing commission.


BILL:	HB09-1152
TIME:	09:08:37 PM
MOVED:	Sonnenberg
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment J). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	McNulty
		VOTE
	Gardner C.	Excused
	Hullinghorst
	Labuda
	Looper	Excused
	McKinley
	McNulty
	Pace
	Solano
	Sonnenberg
	Tipton
	Vigil
	Fischer
	Curry

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB09-1152
TIME:	09:12:37 PM
MOVED:	Sonnenberg
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 09-1152, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on an 8-3 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	McKinley
		VOTE
	Gardner C.	Excused
	Hullinghorst	No
	Labuda	No
	Looper	Excused
	McKinley	Yes
	McNulty	Yes
	Pace	Yes
	Solano	No
	Sonnenberg	Yes
	Tipton	Yes
	Vigil	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
	Curry	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 3 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS