Session Laws

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to immediately provide for the continuation of the harness horse racing industry in the commonwealth and the revenue to the commonwealth from taxes on said industry, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 13 of chapter 494 of the acts of 1978, as most recently amended by section 2 of chapter 114 of the acts of 1991, is hereby further amended by striking out clauses (a) and (b) and inserting in place thereof the following two clauses:-

(a) no license shall be issued for more than an aggregate of two hundred days in any one year at all running horse racing meetings combined, not including running horse racing meetings held in connection with state or county fairs; provided, however, that up to two hundred days may be awarded in Suffolk county only.

(b) no license shall be issued for more than an aggregate of two hundred racing days in any one year at all harness horse racing meetings combined, including harness racing meetings at state or county fairs; provided, however, that up to two hundred days may be awarded in Norfolk county only.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any provisions of chapter one hundred and twenty-eight A of the General Laws to the contrary, a harness horse racing meeting licensee that has been awarded dates for calendar year nineteen hundred and ninety-three may submit, resubmit or amend its application for a license to hold or conduct racing meetings for calendar year nineteen hundred and ninety-three and request that additional dates be licensed. The commission's procedure for hearings on all such applications shall be the same as the procedures on supplementary applications filed pursuant to said chapter one hundred and twenty-eight A.