PRINTER'S NO. 4316
No. 2853 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY WILT, SEPTEMBER 25, 2002
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
SEPTEMBER 25, 2002
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 17, 1981 (P.L.435, No.135),
2 entitled "An act providing for the regulation of pari-mutuel
3 thoroughbred horse racing and harness horse racing
4 activities; imposing certain taxes and providing for the
5 disposition of funds from pari-mutuel tickets," further
6 providing for licenses for commissioners, employees and
7 participants at horse race meetings.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. Section 213(a) of the act of December 17, 1981
11 (P.L.435, No.135), known as the Race Horse Industry Reform Act,
12 amended May 16, 1986 (P.L.205, No.63), is amended to read:
13 Section 213. Licenses for commissioners, employees and
14 participants at horse race meetings.
15 (a) Each commission shall license trainers, jockeys,
16 drivers, persons participating in thoroughbred and harness horse
17 race meetings, horse owners, officers, directors or stockholders
18 of any licensed corporation and all other persons and vendors
19 exercising their occupation or employed at thoroughbred and
20 harness horse race meetings. The license gives its holder a
1 privilege to engage in the specified activity, but the license
2 does not give its holder a property right. Licenses are not
3 transferable. Each commission shall fix the license fees to be
4 paid by persons or corporations so licensed; provided, however,
5 that such occupational license fees shall not exceed $100. All
6 fees shall be paid to the commissions and by them paid into the
7 State Treasury through the Department of Revenue and credited to
8 the State Racing Fund. The application shall be in the form and
9 contain the information as each commission may require.
10 Applicants [must have their fingerprints taken or have
11 fingerprint records on file with the respective commission, the
12 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Police or any other
13 organization recognized by the respective commission as part of
14 the background investigation.] shall be required to submit with
15 their license application a full set of fingerprints. Each
16 commission shall submit the fingerprints to the Pennsylvania
17 State Police and, if necessary, to the Federal Bureau of
18 Investigation for purposes of verifying the identity of such
19 persons and obtaining records of criminal arrests and
20 convictions. Each commission may exempt applicants from the
21 fingerprint requirement for positions not related to the care or
22 training of horses, racing, wagering, security or the management
23 operations of the racing corporation or racetrack. All licenses
24 shall be issued for three-year terms and shall be automatically
25 renewed, upon payment of the required fee, unless subsection (f)
26 applies. Each commission may establish a temporary license and
27 fee valid for four months within a twelve-month period. No
28 applicant, however, may receive more than one temporary license
29 within 12 months of the issuance of his or her preceding
30 temporary license. The commissions may also stagger the
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1 termination dates and renewal dates of the licenses, in order to
2 process and issue the licenses in an orderly manner that
3 provides for approximately one-third of the licenses to be
4 renewed each year. The commissions shall fix the manner by which
5 licenses are processed and issued by rule or regulation.
6 * * *
7 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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