Committee adopts substitute H‑2 for bill on county fair racing, advances House Bill 43 47

The Michigan House Agriculture Committee adopted substitute H‑2 for House Bill 43 47 and later voted to report the bill to the full House with that substitute attached. Committee discussion focused on how the substitute allocates funding, a new requirement for veterinary oversight at races, and repeated clarification that the bill does not authorize parimutuel gambling.

A committee member moved to adopt substitute H‑2 for House Bill 43 47; the clerk recorded nine ayes and zero nays for that motion, and the substitute was adopted. Mr. Kuntz (identified in the transcript as the member asked to explain the substitute) summarized three small changes in the substitute: establishing percentage allocations for how money in the bill would be divided; requiring that a veterinarian be present at races to check horses on arrival and be on-site for events; and clarifying that the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is not responsible for hiring the veterinarian—the hosting fair is responsible.

On the bill’s relationship to gambling, Kuntz told the committee, “There is no gambling in this bill. So we just wanna be very clear ... no gambling,” and he said parimutuel (peer mutual) racing would still require licensing by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The transcript records the committee explicitly clarifying that the substitute does not open county fairs to parimutuel racing without the separate state licensing process.

Several organizations were listed on the record as opposing the bill as amended. The clerk read statements or “cards” into the record identifying opponents as: Landers, representing Attorneys for Animals; Steve Johnson, Michigan Association of Intermediate Schools (as read); Mike McCoy, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; Mike Schuler, Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators; and Jennifer Smith, Association of School Boards. Those entries were read into the record after the substitute was adopted and before the committee vote to report the bill.

Representative Alexander moved to report House Bill 43 47 with recommendations as substitute H‑2. The clerk’s roll call as announced in the transcript recorded the following: Chair Nyar — yes; Representative Wirtz — yes; Representative Leitner — yes; Representative Alexander — yes; Representative Fox — yes; Member (redacted) — yes; Representative Pablo — yes; Representative Highs — pass; Representative Diebendorf — no; Representative Reingans — no; Representative Miss Gaggs — no. The clerk announced the result with the wording recorded in the transcript: “Mister chair, you have 7 nays, 3 nays, 1 pass. The motion prevails.” (The transcript wording is inconsistent in that sentence; the roll-call entries above reflect the individual votes as recorded in the clerk’s roll-call sequence.)

The committee therefore advanced the bill with substitute H‑2 to the full House. The substitute’s sponsor said the substitute clarifies internal allocations, assigns responsibility for veterinary coverage to the hosting fair rather than MDARD, and reiterates that the measure does not authorize parimutuel gambling and that licensing remains with the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

No dollar amounts or specific percentage figures for the allocations were stated on the record during the explanation; the sponsor said only that percentages were established in the substitute to “simplify” distribution. The committee did not take additional public testimony beyond reading the listed opposition statements into the record at this meeting.