Animal Legislation Update Fair Bills in State Legislatures
by Vanessa Gagne, Government Relations & Communications Consultant
Spring has brought forth a few new bills across the country concerning fairs and carnivals.
CA SB 1261 - Horse racing: state-designated fairs: allocation of revenues: gross receipts for sales and use tax. With 78 fairs, including 23 county fairs, two citrus fruit fairs, and the California Exposition and State Fair (Cal Expo), state Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is hoping this bill will give fairs the funding and support they need to be successful. After a transfer of funding for fairs from horse racing to District Agricultural Associations, fairs still needed more funding. That’s when a bill was passed to allocate ¾ of a percent of the gross sales made on fairgrounds to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. From there that generated income would be given to the Fairs and Expositions Fund. CA SB 1261 would increase the percentage of gross sales to 5% annually. This will see to it that fairgrounds being used year-round are sustainable and available for use when needed in emergency situations.
KY HB 621 - AN ACT relating to the State Fair Board that will add the North American Championship Rodeo and the National Farm Machinery Show’s Championship Tractor Pull to the list of shows and expositions owned and operated by the State Fair Board.
- An Act Making An Appropriation to the State Department of Agriculture and Commerce for the Purpose of Defraying the Expenses of the Dixie National Livestock Show; A Roundup for Junior Exhibitors of Livestock and Goats; Supplemental Funds for Livestock Premiums; County Livestock Shows in Offering and Paying Prizes or Awards to Competitors in Approved County Livestock Shows; The Five District Livestock Shows; The Five State Dairy Shows; The Mississippi High School Rodeo; and to Provide How Said Money Shall Be Paid Out of the State Treasury for Fiscal Year 2025. This bill is moving quickly through the state legislature and has a very good chance of passing.
- Department of Agriculture; revise authority to spend certain
funds.To Revise the Powers and Duties of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce Regarding the State Fairgrounds; To Revise How the Department of Agriculture and Commerce Expends Certain Funds; and for Related Purposes.
OABA ShowTime Magazine • MAY 2024 27
MS SB 2631 - amend MDAC ability to expend funding for the Ag Museum and clarify the location of state fairgrounds. The titles of these two bills do not at all address what their intended purpose is - to have the legislature become in charge of funds received from private donors and contributions for the purpose of Fairgrounds and Ag Museum operations, improvements, and repairs. The Commissioner of Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce, Andy Gipson, is vehemently opposed to the bills and has stated that private enterprise is why Mississippi fairs have succeeded in the past and to involve the state will deter future donations.
There will be a lot of updates this summer after the majority of state sessions end.
See you down the road, Vanessa
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