SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com)– At least two of the so far 300 bills filed during this year’s Legislative session are focused on South Dakota’s horse racing industry.
Senate Bill’s 105 and 128 are tied to South Dakota’s horse racing industry.
SB128 would attempt to retrieve money moved from the live horse racing fund around 20 years ago for other uses and return it to District 24, where it was intended for use at the Stanley County Fairgrounds in Fort Pierre
SB105 would establish new mechanisms for funding horse racing in the state. Representative Tim Rounds says he plans to bring a version of SB128 to the House for safekeeping…
“Just in case, something doesn’t come across, I want the discussion to be held over in the House too. Both of them, in their demise over in the Senate that means we won’t have that discussion.” Representative Mary Duvall says the bills bring up a separate valid discussion. “The Legislature has a habit of sweeping funds that were established for a certain purpose. And budgets get tight or we have a pet project, so we sweep those funds into our general fund for whatever purpose. We’ve done it with the state highway fund, the aeronautics, fund the railroad fund. Shame on us.”
Nearly six million dollars was in the live horse racing fund to help promote live horse racing in both Fort Pierre and the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen. The bill, if passed, would mean roughly three-million dollars each for Stanley and Brown Counties for support of live horse racing…
