|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. Tony Payton, Jr.
|
|
Payton measure would have helped minorities enter horse breeding business
HARRISBURG, Jan. 6 – State Rep. Tony Payton, D-Phila., is continuing to push for a measure that would allocate 15 percent of the Pennsylvania Breeders Fund to assist disadvantaged minorities to enter the horse breeding business.
Payton planned to offer the language as an amendment to legislation (S.B. 711) that would allow the state's casinos to offer table games. Unfortunately, the effort to add the amendment was unsuccessful.
"The horse breeding industry continues to grow rapidly in Pennsylvania due in large part to financial assistance from the state," Payton said. "We have an obligation to ensure that historical barriers to participating in this industry are no longer accepted as standard. The societal benefits of expanding gambling in Pennsylvania remain in question, but this would have at least helped more disadvantaged minorities successfully enter into the horse racing industry.
''While this measure was not incorporated into
the final compromise between the House and Senate on table games, I will
continue to push for language that promotes diversity within the Breeders
Fund," Payton added.
The Pennsylvania Breeders Fund was
developed to encourage Pennsylvania breeding and racing of Pennsylvania
Thoroughbreds.
Under the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act (Act 71 of 2004), a percentage of gross terminal revenues go to the Race Horse Development Fund, which supports an array of programs that underwrite various aspects of thoroughbred and harness racing in Pennsylvania.
Under current law, about 80 percent of those revenues go to a fund designated to increase the amount of purses in the horse racing industry, and 16 percent is allocated to a breeders fund to provide incentives for the breeding of Pennsylvania thoroughbred and standard-bred horses.
###