OLYMPIA, WA—JANUARY 24, 2022—According to an article published on DaytonChronicle.com a bill is working its way through committee in the Washington State House of Representatives that could provide funds to revive horse racing to several of the smaller racetracks in the state.

Among those are Sun Downs in Kennewick, Dayton, Waitsburg and Walla Walla.

House Bill 1928, sponsored by Rep. Joe Schmick (R-9-Colfax), would allocate $6 million in sales tax on equine-related products such as horses, feed, equine medications, tack, bedding and grooming supplies, and other taxable sales directly related to equine ownership, riding or boarding, to the Washington State Horse Racing Commission (WSHRC).

It would not be a new tax but an allocation of sales tax already collected.

A similar law passed in Texas in 2019 has helped revive that state's purses structure over the past two years.

The Washing State bill, read earlier this month, has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

Washington Horse Racing Commission Executive Director Doug Moore estimates around $600,000 could be set aside for non-profit tracks in Dayton, Kennewick, Waitsburg and Walla Walla. About $55,000 per day of racing could be available to the state's Class C tracks. Expenses such as insurance, purses and other costs could be funded.