Horse breeding fund.

Each commission shall establish a special fund to promote the breeding, raising, and racing of horses in the state, which shall be known as "The _______ [name of the sponsoring municipality] Racing Commission Breeding and Development Fund." Each horse racing operator shall pay to its licensing commission a breeding fund fee for each month during which it conducts any horse racing events. For each horse racing operator, the breeding fund fee for any month shall be an amount equal to one-half of one percent [or, in the case of any such fee referable to any month during the period of three years immediately following such operator's receipt of an operator's license, one-quarter of one percent] of the horse racing handle for such operator for such month. The breeding fund fee payable by a horse racing operator for a given month shall be paid to the treasurer of the commission licensing such operator before the end of the succeeding month. All breeding fund fees received by a commission shall be deposited into its breeding fund.

Twenty percent of the aggregate amount of breeding fund fees received by each commission in each calendar year shall be set aside for distribution to the schools of veterinary medicine of Auburn University and Tuskegee Institute. Each commission shall distribute the moneys so set aside on such schedule as shall be administratively reasonable and convenient, but in any event all such moneys referable to the breeding fund fees received in any calendar year shall be distributed not later than 60 days after the end of such calendar year. Each commission shall divide the 20 percent of the breeding fund fees required to be set aside for the schools of veterinary medicine at Auburn University and Tuskegee Institute between such schools in an equitable manner, taking into account the number of students served by each school, the financial needs of each school to maintain accepted academic standards, the nature and quality of equine research conducted at each such school and such other factors as such commission shall deem relevant in the circumstances; provided, however, that neither of such schools of veterinary medicine shall receive less than 25 percent of the total amount required to be set aside by the provisions of this paragraph in any calendar year. All moneys distributed to the schools of veterinary medicine at Auburn University or Tuskegee Institute pursuant to this paragraph shall be used exclusively for supportive research on the health and diseases of the horse.

Each commission shall adopt rules and regulations governing the maintenance and administration of its breeding fund and the disbursement of the moneys deposited therein, provided that such moneys may be used only for the purposes specified in the next preceding paragraph of this section and for the following additional purposes:

(1) To provide awards to breeders and owners of Alabama-bred horses finishing first, second, third, or fourth in pari-mutuel races run in the state;

(2) To provide awards to stallion owners whose Alabama stallions have sired Alabama-bred horses finishing first, second, third, or fourth in pari-mutuel races run in the state;

(3) To provide purse moneys for races conducted exclusively for Alabama-bred horses under conditions which have been approved by such commission;

(4) To advance and promote the breeding and raising of horses in the state by the publication and dissemination of information relating thereto;

(5) To promote equine research through grants to universities within the state; and

(6) To provide for the administration and management of such breeding fund.

Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to obligate any greyhound racing operator to pay any amount referable to the greyhound racing handle as a breeding fund fee.

(Acts 1984, No. 84-131, p. 159, §34; Acts 1991, No. 91-187, p. 246, §30.)