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What Michigan’s Agriculture Enhancement Package Means for Tourism
By Larry Julian, State Representative
 After months of preparation and working with many agriculture and equine groups, three bills to boost Michigan’s agriculture and horse racing industrywereapproved by the Michigan House and are now in the Senate. The goal is to enhance the agriculture industry, preserve open space and farmland, increase tourism, create jobs and raise revenue to reduce the state deficit.
The agriculture enhancement package includes:
House Bill 4609, that I sponsored, allows off-track betting simulcast theaters, telephone/Internet account wagering on racing and also provides for distribution of purse pools and breeders’ awards.
House Bill 4610, introduced by Rep. Jack Minore, D-Flint, permits video lottery terminals at horse racing tracks in Michigan. The game is an extension of Michigan Lottery and is controlled by the Lottery Bureau.
House Bill 4611, introduced by Rep. Joe Hune, R-Fowlerville, provides penalties for violating or tampering with the outcome or payoff from video lottery terminals.
This legislation will increase prize monies for pari-mutuel horse racing, a system of betting on races whereby winnings are divided in proportion to the sums individually wagered. It will also increase horse breeders’ awards, monies that are paid to the horsemen responsible for the breeding of an eligible horse.
Revenue from this legislation will help Michigan’s tourism by getting more people to racetracks and to the 87 county and agricultural fairs, plus two state fairs. Agriculture is an integral part of our state. It is the secondbiggest industry in the state behind auto manufacturing. I was born and raised on a farm, so I understand the challenges that people in agriculture face every day.
Michigan’s tourism industry is surrounded by agriculture with miles of shoreline and snowmobile trails; thousands of inland lakes, four national parks, live horse racing, farmers’ markets, petting farms, orchards, cider mills, pumpkin patches, and wineries. If we don’t keep agriculture on the forefront of our state economy we will lose the interest of young people and lose the land to commercial interests.
The agriculture enhancement package places video lottery terminals at established horse tracks, which will increase the revenue of the tracks and attract more people into the horse industry—both as owners and workers. This will benefit youth groups throughout the industry such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America. This legislation is a win-win situation for the agriculture industry and the state.
Agriculture and equine supporters are working hard to save an industry that will continue to decline until gone unless something is done. To support this package, one only needs to understand that this is a partnership with Michigan Lottery and not an expansion of gaming. The bills call for games at existing pari-mutuel racing tracks.
We have a short window of opportunity for growth since we have an agriculture industry that needs help now, so please contact your Senator to voice your support for passage of these bills.
(For more information about Michigan’s horse racing industry, be sure to read Bill Castanier’s article and Don Holecek’s editorial in this same issue of Michigan Tourism Business.)
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