Legislators Participating in Horse Racing PR Stunt to Face Ire Over Corporate Welfare

For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2022

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Yonkers, N.Y. –

Unfurling an unmissable banner that reads, “Fund Education, NOT Horse Racing,” members of the Coalition to End Horse Racing Subsidies will greet legislators on Tuesday at the annual Legislative Pace—an event in which New York State senators and assemblymembers “compete” in live harness horse races. The coalition notes that the New York horse racing industry receives a whopping $230 million in casino profits every year, despite the well-documented abuse of horses and backstretch workers as well as the state’s dire need for education funding.

“Hiring hundreds of teachers or propping up the private horse racing industry—that’s the choice New Yorkers must make,” says Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president of PETA, which is a member of the coalition. “The Coalition to End Horse Racing Subsidies backs bills that would divert this corporate welfare back to education, as intended by the legislature.”

When: Tuesday, September 13, 3:30 p.m.

Where: Empire City Casino and Yonkers Raceway, 810 Yonkers Ave., Yonkers (near the intersection of Clark Street and Central Park Avenue)

The Coalition to End Horse Racing Subsidies is composed of education, fiscal policy, human rights and services, food justice, and animal protection organizations, including the Alliance for Quality Education, the Human Services Council, LiveOn NY, the Worker Justice Center of New York, Hip Hop is Green, Strong Economy for All, NYCLASS, PETA, and the New York State Humane Association. Senate bill S8485, introduced by Sen. Robert Jackson, and Assembly bill 8468, introduced by Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, would redirect the $230 million in annual subsidies for horse racing to education. Senate bill S7260, introduced by Sen. Julia Salazar, and Assembly bill 7745, introduced by Rosenthal, would end sales tax exemptions for racehorses.

Please visit EndHorseRacingSubsidies.com for more information.