HB 5546 Summary

• Transfers the racing commissioner position to the Michigan gaming control board's executive director, relocating authority from an independent office to the gaming control board's horse racing division.

• Eliminates the pari-mutuel wagering tax on live horse racing while maintaining a 3.5% tax on simulcast wagering and 15% tax on other gaming activities; tax revenue supports the Michigan agriculture equine industry development fund.

• Expands pari-mutuel gaming activities to include all horse racing-related technology and innovations while prohibiting banked games where the licensee holds a stake in the outcome.

• Establishes breeding programs and purse supplements for standardbred, thoroughbred, quarter horse, Appaloosa, and Arabian horses, with money allocated for Michigan-bred horses and sire stakes funds.

• Requires track operators to post compulsive gaming helpline numbers and implement various regulatory controls including substance testing for racing participants and strict liability standards for trainers regarding drug and foreign substances in racehorses.