Substitute Senate Bill No. 132, known as Public Act No. 24-1, is an act concerning dog racing, with amendments set to take effect on October 1, 2024. The bill repeals and replaces subsections of section 12-574 of the general statutes, removing language related to the treatment of animals at dog race tracks and the requirement for the commissioner to notify the National Greyhound Association before adopting regulations related to animal treatment. It also updates the language for the integrity and security of racing events, introduces changes to the commissioner's authority, including the power to impose fines, and makes it a class A misdemeanor to aid or abet in the operation of an unlicensed off-track betting system or meeting. The bill removes provisions related to pet adoption programs for retired greyhounds, employment of certain assistance program recipients, and on-site child care centers at dog race tracks, and specifies that the majority of the board of directors of any corporation licensed to operate the off-track betting system must be Connecticut residents.

The bill also amends the laws governing pari-mutuel wagering, removing references to dog racing and updating tax language and rates for total money wagered. It renumbers subsections to reflect deletions, updates language to be gender-neutral, and outlines the distribution of unclaimed moneys and payments to municipalities hosting horse race tracks or jai alai frontons. The bill includes insertions and deletions related to payments made to specific municipalities and revises regulations for registration and licensing fees, including the deletion of fees for kennel names. It mandates criminal history records checks for applicants of certain licenses and repeals the requirement for employing stewards for greyhound racing. Additionally, the bill removes the imposition of a fee on dog racing for funding a program for the treatment of chronic gamblers and excludes dog race tracks from smoking restrictions, while also clarifying the definition of a "child care facility" in the context of smoking restrictions.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
GL Joint Favorable: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
File No. 69: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
Public Act No. 24-1: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d