1494                                      LAWS OF MARYLAND                                 Ch. 710

CHAPTER 710
(Senate Bill 799)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 18B(e) of Article 78B
of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1972 Supplement), title "Racing
Commission," subtitle "In General," to increase the amount of annual
payments made by the State Comptroller to the Hagerstown Race Track out of
the payments made to the State by the Marlboro Race Track for a period of
years as the result of the agreement for the running of racing dates of the
Hagerstown Track at the Marlboro Track.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Section 18B(e) of Article 78B of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1972 Supplement), title "Racing Commission," subtitle "In General,"
be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

18B.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the Racing Commission
may award a license and the dates heretofore awarded to the Agricultural and
Mechanical Association of Washington County to a joint venture consisting of the
Agricultural and Mechanical Association of Washington County and the Southern
Maryland Agricultural Fair Association of Prince George's County; and the
Racing Commission is specifically authorized to approve agreements between such
licensees providing for trie running of the dates of the Agricultural and Mechanical
Association of Washington County at the track of the Southern Maryland
Agricultural Fair Association of Prince George's County for a period or periods
aggregating not more than nine (9) years; provided, however, that no dates
awarded pursuant to this section shall conflict with any other dates for racing in
Prince George's County. If such joint venture shall be awarded a license and dates
for racing at the track of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Fair Association of
Prince George's County during nine (9) calendar years, the Agricultural and
Mechanical Association of Washington County shall be deemed to have forfeited
its rights to conduct racing after said ninth year and it shall not thereafter be
awarded dates or a license for racing, and the number of racing days theretofore
annually awarded to it shall thereafter be awarded by the Racing Commission to
the Southern Maryland Agricultural Fair Association of Prince George's County
in addition to the number of racing days then awardable to the Southern Maryland
Agricultural Fair Association of Prince George's County pursuant to Section 15(a)
of this article; provided, however, that no dates awarded pursuant to this section
shall conflict with any other dates for racing in Prince George's County. If the
license and dates are awarded as provided above in this subsection, the Southern
Maryland Agricultural Fair Association of Prince George's County for a period of
ten years shall pay such amount as shall be reviewed by the Racing Commission,
but in no case less than six thousand dollars ($6,000.00) per racing day to the State
Comptroller for each racing day transferred; from these payments the State
Comptroller for a period of [[ten]] EIGHT years shall pay the sum of
[eighty-five thousand dollars ($85,000.00]] ONE HUNDRED EIGHT
THOUSAND DOLLARS ($108,000.00) each year to the Agricultural and
Mechanical Association of Washington County, if that association operates a fair
in the particular year; and the remainder of the moneys received by the
Comptroller from the Southern Maryland Agricultural Fair Association of Prince
George's County shall be credited to the general funds of the State treasury.