Senate Bill sb1692c1
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 1692
    By the Committee on Regulated Industries and Senator Wasserman
    Schultz
    315-1668-01
  1                      A bill to be entitled
  2         An act relating to greyhound adoptions;
  3         requiring dogracing permitholders to provide a
  4         greyhound-adoption booth at each dogracing
  5         facility in the state; requiring that the booth
  6         be operated by certain qualified persons on
  7         weekends; requiring that information concerning
  8         the adoption of a greyhound be made available
  9         to the public at the facility; requiring the
10         permitholder to provide adoption information in
11         racing programs and identify greyhounds that
12         will become available for adoption; authorizing
13         the permitholder to hold an additional charity
14         day that is designated as "Greyhound
15         Adopt-A-Pet Day"; requiring that profits
16         derived from the charity day be used to fund
17         activities promoting the adoption of
18         greyhounds; authorizing the Division of
19         Pari-mutuel Wagering within the Department of
20         Business and Professional Regulation to adopt
21         rules; providing penalties; amending s.
22         550.1647, F.S., relating to unclaimed tickets
23         and breaks with respect to greyhound racing;
24         defining the term "bona fide organization that
25         promotes or encourages the adoption of
26         greyhounds"; providing an effective date.
27
28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30         Section 1.  Greyhound adoptions.--
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 1692
    315-1668-01
  1         (1)  Each dogracing permitholder operating a dogracing
  2  facility in this state shall provide for a greyhound-adoption
  3  booth to be located at the facility and operated during the
  4  hours the facility is open to the public. The
  5  greyhound-adoption booth must be operated on weekends by
  6  personnel or volunteers from a recognized greyhound-adoption
  7  organization who are qualified to provide information to the
  8  public concerning the adoption of a greyhound. As used in this
  9  section, the term "weekend" includes the hours between 5 p.m.
10  on Friday evening and 12 a.m. on Sunday morning. Information
11  pamphlets and application forms shall be provided to the
12  public upon request. In addition, the kennel operator or owner
13  shall notify the permitholder that a greyhound is available
14  for adoption and the permitholder shall provide information
15  concerning the adoption of a greyhound in each race program
16  and shall post adoption information at conspicuous locations
17  throughout the dogracing facility. Any greyhound that is
18  participating in a race and that will be available for future
19  adoption must be noted in the race program. The permitholder
20  shall allow greyhounds to be walked through the track facility
21  to publicize the greyhound-adoption program.
22         (2)  In addition to the charity days authorized under
23  section 550.0351, Florida Statutes, a greyhound permitholder
24  may fund the greyhound-adoption program by holding a charity
25  racing day designated as "Greyhound Adopt-A-Pet Day." All
26  profits derived from the operation of the charity day must be
27  placed into a fund used to support activities at the racing
28  facility which promote the adoption of greyhounds. The
29  division may adopt rules for administering the fund. Proceeds
30  from the charity day authorized in this subsection may not be
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 1692
    315-1668-01
  1  used as a source of funds for the purposes set forth in s.
  2  550.1647.
  3         (3)(a)  Upon a violation of this section by a
  4  permitholder or licensee, the division or judge at a dogracing
  5  facility may impose one or more of the following penalties:
  6         1.  Suspension or permanent revocation of the
  7  permitholder's license or permit.
  8         2.  Imposition of an administrative fine, which may not
  9  exceed $5,000 for each separate offense.
10         3.  Stipulation that the permitholder take corrective
11  action.
12         (b)  A penalty imposed under this subsection does not
13  exclude a prosecution for cruelty to animals or for any other
14  criminal act.
15         Section 2.  Section 550.1647, Florida Statutes, is
16  amended to read:
17         550.1647  Greyhound permitholders; unclaimed tickets;
18  breaks.--All money or other property represented by any
19  unclaimed, uncashed, or abandoned pari-mutuel ticket which has
20  remained in the custody of or under the control of any
21  permitholder authorized to conduct greyhound racing
22  pari-mutuel pools in this state for a period of 1 year after
23  the date the pari-mutuel ticket was issued, if the rightful
24  owner or owners thereof have made no claim or demand for such
25  money or other property within that period of time, shall,
26  with respect to live races conducted by the permitholder, be
27  remitted to the state pursuant to s. 550.1645; however, such
28  permitholder shall be entitled to a credit in each state
29  fiscal year in an amount equal to the actual amount remitted
30  in the prior state fiscal year which may be applied against
31  any taxes imposed pursuant to this chapter. In addition, each
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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 1692
    315-1668-01
  1  permitholder shall pay, from any source, including the
  2  proceeds from performances conducted pursuant to s. 550.0351,
  3  an amount not less than 10 percent of the amount of the credit
  4  provided by this section to any bona fide organization that
  5  promotes or encourages the adoption of greyhounds. As used in
  6  this section, the term "bona fide organization that promotes
  7  or encourages the adoption of greyhounds" means any
  8  organization that provides evidence of compliance with chapter
  9  496 and possesses a valid exemption from federal taxation
10  issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
12
13          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
14                             SB 1692
15
16  -Limits the requirement that permitholders operate on-site
    adoption booths to weekends, and allows volunteers from a
17  greyhound adoption organization to operate that booth.
18  -Kennel operators or greyhound owners must provide information
    to permitholders who must publish such information in the
19  program, that a particular greyhound that is participating in
    a race is available for future adoption.
20
    -Permitholders must allow greyhounds to be walked through the
21  track facility to publicize the greyhound adoption program but
    no longer requires greyhounds that are available for adoption
22  to be so identified and walked through the track facility.
23  -Requires proceeds from the Greyhound Adopt-a-Pet Day to be
    placed in a fund and authorizes the Division to adopt rules
24  for administering the fund.
25  -Provides limits for use of the charity day proceeds.
26  -Authorizes the Division to impose penalties.
27  -Defines the term "bona fide organization that promotes or
    encourages the adoption of greyhounds" as used in s. 550.1647,
28  F.S.
29
30
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