March 17, 2017      5:09 PM

Sen. Kolkhorst takes up the cause of an industry often under fire from conservatives: Horseracing

"As a Senator who represents so many Texans involved in the horse racing industry, this is a huge economic development issue,” Kolkhorst said

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, has filed a trio of bills intended to bolster the flagging revenues of the Texas Racing Commission, which will depend on an advance of fees from the racing industry to close out its final expenses this year.

The racing industry had a tough interim, with a squabble with conservatives like Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson over historical racing putting the agency’s funding in danger. Add to that, a number of dormant tracks refusing to pay license fees to the commission, compromising the agency’s budget. The latter led to messy year-end meeting with multiple parties claiming ownership of the Longhorn Downs license.

By Kimberly Reeves

Copyright March 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved