AN ACT Relating to providing that the horse racing commission operating account is a nonappropriated account; and amending RCW 67.16.280.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1.  RCW 67.16.280 and 2013 c 88 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) The Washington horse racing commission operating account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts collected by the commission under RCW 67.16.105(2) must be deposited into the account. ((The commission has the authority to receive such gifts, grants, and endowments from public or private sources as may be made from time to time in trust or otherwise for the use and purpose of regulating or supporting nonprofit race meets as set forth in RCW 67.16.130 and 67.16.105(1); such gifts, grants, and endowments must also be deposited into the account and expended according to the terms of such gift, grant, or endowment. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, expenditures from the account may be used only for operating expenses of the commission.)) Expenditures from the account may be used only for the operating expenses of the commission. Only the commission or the commission's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

(2) In order to provide funding in support of the legislative findings in RCW 67.16.101 (1) through (3), and to provide additional necessary support to the nonprofit race meets beyond the funding provided by RCW 67.16.101(4) and 67.16.102(2), the commission is authorized to spend up to three hundred thousand dollars per fiscal year from its operating account for the purpose of developing the equine industry, maintaining and upgrading racing facilities, and assisting equine health research. When determining how to allocate the funds available for these purposes, the commission must give first consideration to uses that regulate and assist the nonprofit race meets and equine health research. These expenditures may occur only when sufficient funds remain for the continued operations of the horse racing commission.

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