Witnesses urge redirecting Massachusetts horse-racing funds to Healthy Incentives Program

At a Joint Committee on Revenue remote hearing, public commenters urged support for House Bill 4105 to redirect a portion of Massachusetts horse-racing incentive funds to the Healthy Incentives Program, known as HIP. Speakers said the change would channel casino-derived race incentives back into programs that help local farmers and low-income residents buy locally grown produce.

Supporters said the current Mass. racehorse incentive payments largely benefit out-of-state interests rather than local agriculture. "Rather than funding out of state horse racing, which is what is happening now, this bill would provide that that money instead be redirected to provide some of the funding necessary for the HIP program," said a commenter during public testimony. The speaker added the measure "would help Massachusetts residents, Massachusetts farmers, Massachusetts farms, and farm workers." (Public commenter)

Why it matters: HIP gives low-income SNAP recipients bonus dollars to buy produce at farmers markets and other local outlets. Witnesses argued that a steady dedicated revenue stream would both support local producers and expand access to fresh food for low-income households during a year when demand and program shortfalls were reported.

Ellen Anderson, an elected chair of the Petersham Board of Assessors and co-founder of the Petersham Friday Market, said the horse-racing incentive originally was meant to support thoroughbred racing and to help farms indirectly. "Thoroughbred racing is not coming back," Anderson said. She testified that the money "has been assisting, subsidizing, and supporting out of state investors and out of state racetracks," and that redirecting funds to HIP would support local farmers, market customers and farm workers.

Lisa Nugent, who described herself as a former worker at Highcrest Farms in Sterling, said the current payouts disproportionately benefit winning racehorse owners rather than the kinds of farmers HIP serves. Nugent cited journalism reporting on Massachusetts race incentive payouts and said the bill "gives us the opportunity to redirect a portion of the mass horse racing funds to the HIP program, which inarguably would have a much wider array of positive ramifications." She added the measure "would not fully fund the HIP program, but the funds it would provide would be going a long way to helping things out."

Discussion versus decision: testimony at this hearing consisted of public comment and advocacy for the bill; no committee vote or formal committee action on House Bill 4105 was recorded in the transcript. Witnesses included farmers, local stakeholders and market organizers; they emphasized program need, local economic benefit and that the proposed use would not fully finance HIP but would supplement it.

Clarifying details provided in testimony include: proponents said the current incentive structure was originally intended to support thoroughbred racing; that the bill would not fully fund HIP; and that reassigning these payments would keep more revenue within Massachusetts agriculture rather than paying out to racing operations outside the state.

Next steps: House Bill 4105 remains a legislative proposal under consideration by the Joint Committee on Revenue; the hearing record consists of public testimony advocating for the bill and for further legislative action.