N.Y. PML. LAW § 909 : NY Code - Section 909: Task force on retired race horses

Search N.Y. PML. LAW § 909 : NY Code - Section 909: Task force on retired race horses

1. There is hereby created
  in  the  state  racing and wagering board the task force on retired race
  horses. The task force is to be comprised of thirteen members. Such task
  force shall have two ex-officio co-chairpersons, one of  whom  shall  be
  the  chairperson  of  the state board and the other of whom shall be the
  commissioner of  agriculture  and  markets,  or  their  designees.  Five
  members  shall  be  appointed  by  the  governor,  two  members shall be
  appointed by the temporary president of the senate, two members shall be
  appointed by the speaker of the assembly, one member shall be  appointed
  by  the minority leader of the senate, and one member shall be appointed
  by the minority leader of the assembly. All  appointed  members  of  the
  task  force  shall be appointed or reappointed within one hundred twenty
  days of the effective date of the chapter of the laws  of  two  thousand
  seven which amended this subdivision. The appointed members of such task
  force   shall   be   representative  of:  (a)  owners  and  breeders  of
  standardbred and thoroughbred horses,  (b)  persons  with  expertise  in
  training  horses  for  uses  other  than racing, such as riding schools,
  steeplechase competitions,  show  horse  competitions  (e.g.,  dressage,
  hunter/jumper,  English,  Western,  and costume competitions), and other
  recreational uses, (c) persons with experience in the potential farm  or
  other  rural  economic business applications for horses, and (d) persons
  familiar with the use of horses for recreational  or  therapeutic  uses.
  Any  vacancy  on  such  task  force  shall  be  filled  by  the original
  appointing authority. Task force members shall receive  no  compensation
  for  their  services,  but  shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary
  travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
    2. The mission of the task force is to identify  productive,  although
  not  necessarily  profitable,  and  beneficial, to both horse and human,
  uses for retired race horses and to increase the number of retired  race
  horses  made available for such uses and so used. In furtherance of this
  mission, the term "retired race horses" shall be  broadly  construed  to
  include  those  horses  that were actually used in racing and those that
  were bred and intended to be so used but were not so used. Moreover, the
  task force shall develop and  identify  new  and  innovative  ideas  and
  methods  that  can  utilize  private and public funding sources to place
  retired race horses in such  productive  and  beneficial  uses,  and  to
  increase  both the number of horses so used and the scale and variety of
  such uses.
    3. The task force shall investigate and research  the  feasibility  of
  promoting  the use of retired race horses in such activities as, but not
  limited to:
    (a) the therapeutic use of horses in the  medical,  psychological,  or
  rehabilitative care or treatment of patients;
    (b)  the  expansion  of the use of horses at federal, state, and local
  correctional facilities and youth  detention  facilities  to  train  the
  inmates  thereof  for  careers,  after  their  release,  in  the  racing
  industry, in the care of horses for recreational purposes, or  as  large
  animal veterinary assistants or technicians;
    (c)  facilitating  the  retraining  and financing of the retraining of
  retired race horses to be used for other purposes; and
    (d) other potential uses for retired race horses.
    4. The task force shall investigate and research the feasibility of:
    (a) promoting and facilitating a larger market for  the  purchase  and
  sale of retired race horses;
    (b)  supporting  the work of the "Performance Horse Registry" (managed
  by the United States Equestrian Federation), which is a central database
  used to track the performance of thoroughbreds, half-thoroughbreds,  and
  non-thoroughbreds for non-racing disciplines, helping to market and sell

  a  higher  volume  of  horses by informing prospective purchasers of the
  pedigrees of the horses under consideration and the suitability  of  the
  horses for the prospective purchasers' intended uses;
    (c)   supporting   existing   or  establishing  new  standardbred  and
  thoroughbred adoption programs that are supported by  private  donations
  or racing industry funding sources;
    (d)  studying  and ultimately promoting the alteration of current race
  horse training regimens so that retired race horses can more readily  be
  retrained for other economically viable uses;
    (e)  installing  at  race  courses, artificial turf that has an impact
  absorbing quality which can minimize or eliminate catastrophic  injuries
  to  horses and jockeys that race on such courses. Such investigation and
  research shall include an analysis of the  cost  and  benefits  of  such
  artificial turf;
    (f)  developing  and  promoting college, university, secondary school,
  BOCES, or other educational internship programs to  supply  students  to
  staff  programs  that  promote the maintenance of retired race horses or
  that facilitate the marketability of retired race horses; and
    (g) encouraging colleges and  universities  to  utilize  retired  race
  horses  at  a  higher  rate  in  those  of their programs that currently
  utilize horses.
    5. Not later than three years after this section shall have  become  a
  law,  the task force shall report to the governor and the legislature on
  its activities, findings, and recommendations.
    * NB Repealed December 31, 2011