Horton Legislation Clears Senate

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jerome E. Horton (D-Inglewood) announced today that Assembly Bill 701, a workers' compensation bill to aid California's horseman and horsewomen, passed off the Senate Floor 31-6.

AB 701 makes a minor adjustment to the amount deducted from the pari-mutuel pools of wagers made on live California horse races in order to address the increase in workers' compensation costs within the California horse racing industry. AB 701 will generate approximately $9.5 million to help this highly regulated industry offset the cost of workers' compensation insurance.

The bill will now be sent back to the Assembly Floor for Concurrence.

"Over the last 90 days we have worked with Governor Schwarzenegger to craft a bill which addresses the concerns expressed in the veto message of AB 900," said Assemblymember Jerome Horton. "In no way should this bill be viewed as a piecemeal approach to the overall workers' compensation problem. Even with the comprehensive workers' compensation package, which passed last week, the California horse racing industry will still be paying premiums which are excessive compared to other industries and other racing jurisdictions. This bill will help to restore California as a place where the best horses race and the best trainers and jockeys compete."

AB 701 was introduced after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Assembly Bill 900, siting concerns over the governance of the fund, methods of distribution of the funds and the lack of further review of the necessity of the additional takeout in the future. All of the Governor's concerns have been addressed in AB 701.