* § 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 sella 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
* § 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 sella 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
* § 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 sella 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
