Following Governor Tom Wolf's visits to Kutztown and East Stroudsburg Universities, local Pennsylvania residents spoke out in opposition to his plan to raid $204 million from a trust fund used for horse breeder incentives and racing purses to pay for his new college scholarship plan. The money in the fund, which is paid for out of casino slot machine revenues and are not taxpayer dollars, serves as the lifeblood of the state's horse breeding and racing industry by funding purses and breeder incentives. Under the Governor's proposal, there would be no money left in the Race Horse Development Trust Fund for purses or breeder incentives.
“If this proposal goes through and they take that money away, my whole farm is done for,” said Glenn Brok, owner of the 100-acre Diamond B Farm that is home to 150 horses. “Our entire business is built on Thoroughbred breeding and we rely on the breeder incentives to keep our operation going. It's not just my family and the families of my employees who will be impacted, but many local farmers and businesses as well. I spend about $250,000 per year to purchase hay and straw from local farmers such as Rohrbach Brothers and Roger Zweizig, so they and a dozen other small businesses I use are going to be hurt by this as well. We believed in Governor Wolf when he said this money would be there, when he signed legislation putting this money into a trust fund to prevent raids like this. Now he is turning his back on an entire industry.”
Richelle Grieb owns and runs Daydream Farm in Hamburg, Berks County, a 74-acre farm that is home to 43 horses. Her farm focuses largely on breeding Thoroughbred horses. “I have owned my farm for 20 years and breeding Thoroughbred horses is my livelihood and I how I earn all of my income,” said Grieb. “This would shut me down. I would have no income. I would lose my farm. I would be homeless.”
Pete Peterson, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition, said it is important to understand that the Governor is seeking to divert non-tax dollars from the Race Horse Development Fund. In 2017, the legislature passed–and Governor Wolf signed into law–legislation (Act 47) that specifically states the money in the RHDTF “are not funds of the Commonwealth” and that “the Commonwealth is not rightfully entitled” to the funds.
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