Seven harness racing-related bills are in the stack of proposals awaiting action during the closing session of the 120th Maine Legislature. Of the seven hopefuls submitted, there are some relatively easy housekeeping chores to be considered, along with a pair of retreads, plus a pair of much more complicated and far-reaching proposals.

L.D. 194 – An Act to Ensure Stability in Maine’s Harness Racing and Off-Track Betting Business. This legislation, if enacted, would allow a racetrack to accept wagers on simulcast races only if it has been authorized to and has accepted such wagers in the past or if it is located outside the market areas of existing businesses established to accept such wagers.

L.D. 255 – An Act to Require the State Harness Racing Commission to Appoint Judges for Harness Races. This bill provides for the racing commission to appoint presiding and associate judges at licensed race meets. Once appointed by the commission, the judge and associates become employees of the person licensed by the state to conduct a meet.

L.D. 289 – An Act Regarding Harness Racing. This bill amends the definition of “commercial track” by deleting the different criteria that currently apply to areas with different populations. It also makes technical changes to make the use of this term consistent with the term “commercial licensee.”

L.D. 696 – An Act to Allow for Fair Competition Among Fair Tracks. This piece of legislation allows all commercial tracks to conduct live racing whenever any other track in the state is simulcasting its races.

L.D. 912 – An Act to Amend the Harness Racing Laws to Provide for Staggered Terms. This bill staggers the terms of members of the Harness Racing Commission and the Harness Racing Promotion Board. It also allows the racing commission to elect one of the commissioners as chairman rather than have the governor appoint a member.

L.D. 1415 – An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Harness Racing. This bill allows for a new commercial harness racetrack to open and participate in the various state stipends in the event that an existing track goes out of business. The bill also provides for payment to a racetrack in the state that provided a simulcast signal to other racetracks in the state for the purpose of supplementing the purses at the originating racetrack.

L.D. 1544 – An Act to Establish a Lottery Game to Improve Purses for Maine Harness Racing and to Enhance Penalties for Use of Illegal Gambling Machines. This bill establishes a harness racing lottery game and a Harness Racing Purse Fund to improve harness racing purses. The bill also defines illegal gambling machines and provides that illegal gambling machines and their monetary contents are subject to seizure and forfeiture in both civil and criminal proceedings. Seizure may be pursuant to court process or without process if the seizure is incident to a search that is in conformity with constitutional governing searches and seizures.

The end of this session of the 120th Maine Legislature is nearing and none of these harness bills listed have received any legislative action, except for L.D. 912, which had its first and second reading in both the House and Senate (and awaits its third and final reading), according to the Legislative Information Office in Augusta.

PACING BITS – Scarborough Downs continues live racing and simulcasting three-day weekends during April: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a 1 p.m. post time each day. On Friday, April 27, Scarborough will open its clubhouse for the season and move its Friday post time to 7:30 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday post times will remain at 1 p.m. … Plainridge Racecourse, in Plainville, Mass., opens its live harness racing and simulcast season on Monday with 14 races and a 4 p.m. post time. … Bangor Raceway opens its 30-day extended harness meet in less than a month, on May 13, with a 1 p.m. post time for the races and simulcasts.

Ken Ward’s harness racing column is published each Saturday. He may be reached by e-mail at hogg@prexar.com