Three days after clearing the New Jersey state Assembly Appropriations Committee by a unanimous 11-0 vote, a bill that would provide a $10-million annual purse supplement to Monmouth Park over five years passed a vote on the Assembly floor by a 68-6-1 count Thursday. With this final major clearance secured, the bill will go to the desk of Governor Phil Murphy to be signed into law.
Bill 2992 would distribute $20 million between the state's Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries annually, with Monmouth Park receiving the entire $10-million allotment to the Thoroughbred industry. Should Murphy sign the bill into law, Monmouth could gain access to the new purse funds for its 2019 meet, which begins in May. The racing industry previously received a $17-million annual purse supplement funded by Atlantic City casinos until the fund was terminated by Governor Chris Christie in 2011.
During Monday's Assembly Appropriations Committee session, an amendment to the bill was added which requires recipient racetracks to provide an annual report that demonstrates a positive impact created by the purse subsidy.
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