AB 438

This bill eliminates certain requirements relating to horse racing at local fairs

and makes changes to the regulation of local fairs.

Horse racing

Current law provides state aid to pay one-half of any $400 or $500 prize won

in certain harness races conducted by a county or an agricultural society and limits

that aid to one such event in any calendar year. In addition, current law regulates

the types of horses eligible to enter or start in such harness races, as well as the

number of entries and starters and the amount of entrance fees that may be charged.

Also under current law, a person who enters a horse in a race held by an

agricultural society must pay an entrance fee. If the person does not pay the fee, the

society may bring suit against the person, and the horse is not exempt from

attachment in a collection action. Current law also prohibits a person from falsifying

the name of a horse entered in a race or concealing the horse's racing performance

history.

This bill eliminates the foregoing provisions.

Other changes to fair regulation

Current law limits the amount of the entry fee that may be charged for an

exhibit at an agricultural fair or exhibition. Current law also requires an

agricultural society that receives state aid for a fair to install an accounting system

approved by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

(DATCP), and to publish, within 120 days after the fair, a financial statement

showing the organization's financial condition before and after the fair. In addition,

current law requires the Department of Administration to audit the financial reports

of an entity that has operated a local fair before providing state aid to the entity for

that fair.

This bill eliminates the foregoing provisions.

Current law prohibits restrictions on the number of fairs in which an exhibitor

may participate while remaining eligible for premium state aid award. This bill

allows an entity operating a fair to limit the total number of fairs at which an

exhibitor may participate and still be eligible for a premium award at that entity's

fair.

This bill also changes the deadline for the filing of financial reports relating to

a local fair from the December 31 of the year in which the fair is held to the January

31 following the year in which the fair is held.

Finally, current law provides that DATCP and the principal officers of the

Northern Wisconsin state fair, a county agricultural society, or an industrial society

have full jurisdiction and control over their fair grounds. This bill removes DATCP

and the principal officers of the Northern Wisconsin state fair or an industrial society

from these provisions and provides this authority only to county agricultural

societies.