Ala. Code § 11-65-36

Current through the 2024 Regular Session.

Section 11-65-36 - Application of net commission revenues

All commission horse wagering fees, commission greyhound wagering fees, and other fees, commissions, and moneys, including fines and forfeitures, to which a commission shall be entitled under the provisions of this chapter shall be paid to the treasurer of such commission and shall be deposited by said treasurer to the account of such commission. Except for the gross profits of any commission racing day and the commission greyhound wagering fee referable to greyhound racing on such day that may be set aside for specific public entities or charitable organizations pursuant to Section 11-65-30.1(c), all such moneys to which a commission shall be entitled that remain after (i) the payment of all expenses incurred in the administration of this chapter, including (without limitation thereto) the payment of the salaries and expenses of the members and employees of such commission, and (ii) the deposit into the breeding fund of all amounts required by Section 11-65-34 hereof to be deposited therein shall be allocated and paid not less frequently than once each calendar year as follows:

(1) Nineteen percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the sponsoring municipality; provided however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, of the amount allocated to such municipality a sum equal to one percent of the net commission revenues shall be set aside for the retired employees of such municipality and shall be paid to the trustees of such municipality's retirement system for distribution to such retired employees once a year, during the Christmas season if practicable, with an equal amount to be paid to each retired employee irrespective of the amount of his or her regular retirement benefits, the length of his or her employment by such municipality before retirement, or any other factor;

(2) Ten percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located, subject to the conditions that

a. If the sponsoring municipality is located in more than one county, the portion of the said 10 percent of net commission revenues allocated to each such county shall be determined in proportion to the population of the sponsoring municipality residing in such county as determined by the most recent federal decennial census,

b. One-half of the amount of net commission revenues allocated to any county shall be used for countywide purposes (including both incorporated and unincorporated areas) in such manner as shall be determined by the governing body of such county, and

c. One-half of the amount of net commission revenues allocated to any county shall be used to defray the cost of governmental operations conducted in the unincorporated parts of such county or shall otherwise be used for the exclusive benefit of the unincorporated parts of such county in such manner as shall be determined by the governing body thereof;

(3) If the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama operates a college, graduate school, extension center, or other educational facility located in any county in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located, nine percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, subject to the conditions that

a. Such amount shall be used exclusively in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located;

b. One-twelfth of the amount of net commission revenues allocated to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama shall be used for the support of any programs operated for the correction or treatment of learning disorders of any kind or research into the causes of such disorders, and if no such programs are operated by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located, such portion of the net commission revenues shall be used in such county or counties for such other purposes or programs as may be determined by said board of trustees, and

c. One-twelfth of the amount of net commission revenues allocated to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama shall be used for the support of any programs or laboratories operated for research in virology, and if no such programs or laboratories are operated by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located, such portion of the net commission revenues shall be used in such county or counties for such other purposes or programs as may be determined by said board of trustees;

(4) Three percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to Jefferson State Community College;

(5) Three percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to Lawson State Community College;

(6) Two percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to public technical colleges located in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the two percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated in its entirety to Bessemer State Technical College;

(7) One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to any public corporation or authority which provides public transportation in an area including the sponsoring municipality;

(8) Seventeen percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to all county, municipal, district, or other public school systems operating primary and/or secondary schools in any county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality shall be located; and if there shall be more than one of such school systems, the said seventeen percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to such school systems in proportion to their average daily attendance during the most recently completed school year;

(9) If any incorporated municipalities other than the sponsoring municipality are located in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located, four and one-half percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to such other municipalities; and if there shall be more than one of such municipalities, the said four and one-half percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to such municipalities in proportion to their population as determined by the most recent federal decennial census;

(10) Four percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to any public fire districts or volunteer fire departments organized and operating in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located; and if there shall be more than one of such fire districts or volunteer fire departments, the said four percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated among such fire districts and volunteer fire departments in proportion to the approximate number of single family residences and other buildings provided fire protection thereby, which number in the case of a public fire district shall be the paid membership thereof and in the case of a volunteer fire department shall be a census of the number of protected residences and other buildings confirmed by affidavit of the chief executive of such volunteer fire department;

(11) Two percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to any hospitals which are owned by any county, municipality, or public corporation or authority, which are located in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality shall be located and which serve predominantly poor and indigent patients; and if there shall be more than one of such hospitals, the said two percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to such hospitals in proportion to their average patient census during the most recently completed annual period selected by the commission for the purpose of making such allocation;

(12) One and one-half percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the Tannehill Furnace and Foundry Commission established pursuant to Sections 41-9-320 through 41-9-330;

(13) One-half of one percent of the net revenues shall be allocated to the Alabama State Fair Authority established pursuant to Act No. 215 enacted at the 1947 Regular Session of the Legislature of Alabama;

(14) One-half of one percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to public bodies that operate art museums in the sponsoring municipality; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the one-half of one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated in its entirety to the Birmingham Museum of Art; and

(15) If and to the extent that the allocations of net commission revenues described in this subdivision can be lawfully made to recipients satisfying the applicable conditions as herein set forth, the commission shall allocate and disburse the following percentages of the net commission revenues for the following purposes:

a. Three percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to private, not-for-profit colleges which are located in the host county and the student enrollment of which is predominantly drawn from economically disadvantaged minorities;

b. Three percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to private, not-for-profit law schools which are located in the host county and the student enrollment of which is predominantly drawn from economically disadvantaged minorities; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the three percent of the net commission revenues referred to in paragraph a. of this subdivision shall be allocated in its entirety to Miles College and the three percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph b. shall be allocated in its entirety to the Law School of Miles College;

c. One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations, whether public or private, that are located in the sponsoring municipality and that promote economic development in the sponsoring municipality and the surrounding metropolitan area; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated in its entirety to the metropolitan development board;

d. Six percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to private, not-for-profit hospitals located in the sponsoring municipality that primarily provide care for children;

e. Two percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations, whether public or private, which are located in any county in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located and which sponsor, promote, or conduct research and education related to the cure or control of sickle cell anemia or provide treatment or other aid for victims of that disease;

f. One and one-half percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations (including any particular branch thereof) which are located in the sponsoring municipality and which provide educational and recreational activities for young persons predominantly belonging to economically disadvantaged minorities; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated to Partners in Neighborhood Growth and the remaining one-half percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated to the Fourth Avenue Center of the Young Men's Christian Association;

g. One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the local chapter or affiliate of The National Urban League that is based in the sponsoring municipality;

h. One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the local chapter or affiliate of the United Cerebral Palsy Association, Inc., that is based in the sponsoring municipality;

i. One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations (including any local chapter or affiliate) which sponsor and support research for the prevention or correction of birth defects and which are located in any county in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated in its entirety to the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation-North Alabama Chapter;

j. One and one-half percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations which provide shelter, care and counselling for abused and neglected women and children and which are located in any county in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated to Prescott House, Inc., and the remaining one-half percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated to the Child Advocacy Center in Bessemer;

k. One percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations which operate orphanages for abandoned or mentally disturbed children and which are located in the sponsoring municipality; provided, however, if any commission shall be created pursuant to this chapter for which the sponsoring municipality shall be the City of Birmingham, then, and in such case, the one percent of the net commission revenues referred to in this paragraph shall be allocated in its entirety to the Gateway Orphanage operated by Family and Child Services;

l. One-half of one percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra; and

m. One-half of one percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated in total to not-for-profit organizations which provide shelter and care for abandoned or abused animals and which are located in the county or counties in which the sponsoring municipality or any part thereof shall be located; and if there shall be more than one county in which such an organization or organizations exists, the said one-half of one percent of the net commission revenues shall be allocated among such counties in proportion to their population as determined by the most recent federal decennial census; and the amount so allocated to each county shall be apportioned among qualifying organizations in each such county in accordance with the commission's determination of need and merit, taking into account the number of animals handled by each such organization during the most recent calendar year.

Except as may herein be specifically provided otherwise, if there shall at any time exist more than one institution or organization which qualifies for a portion of any generic allocation of net commission revenues made pursuant to any of paragraphs a. through m. inclusive, of subdivision (15), then, and in such case, a commission shall apportion such allocation among all institutions or organizations which evidence to such commission (in such manner as it shall reasonably require) their respective qualifications to receive a portion of such allocation. Any such allocation shall be apportioned among the qualifying institutions and organizations of each generic category in an equitable manner to be determined by the commission, taking into account the relative scale of activities of each qualifying institution or organization, the number of persons served thereby or other relevant factors. A commission shall have reasonable discretion in determining whether, in the light of the legislative intent, a particular institution or organization shall be entitled to an allocation of any portion of the net commission revenues pursuant to the provisions of this section.

A commission and the individual members thereof shall be fully protected against any charge of malfeasance in relying upon an opinion of the Attorney General of the State of Alabama that a portion of the net commission revenues may be lawfully allocated and paid to any institution or organization pursuant to any of the provisions of subdivision (15), unless a court of competent jurisdiction shall declare invalid the allocation of net commission revenues to any such institution or organization.

If any allocation of any portion of the net commission revenues pursuant to any provision of this section cannot be made for any reason (including, without limitation thereto, the legal invalidity of the provisions of this chapter authorizing such allocation, lack of lawful authority by a commission to make such allocation, the nonexistence of any public body or any public or private institution or organization entitled to receive such allocation, or any other failure to satisfy the conditions of such allocation), then, and in such case, the failure of such allocation shall not impair the validity or effectiveness of any part of this chapter other than the provisions hereof specifically providing for such allocation, nor shall the failure of such allocation adversely affect any other allocation of net commission revenues under this chapter. Any portion of the net commission revenues that, for any reason, cannot be allocated in accordance with the specific provisions of any of subdivisions (1) through (15) shall be apportioned among those governmental bodies, institutions and organizations actually receiving lawful allocations hereunder in proportion to the respective amounts of net commission revenues which would have been allocated to such governmental bodies, institutions and organizations if there had been no need to reallocate any net commission revenues that could not be allocated in accordance with the specific provisions of said subdivisions (1) through (15).

It is hereby expressly declared that the primary purpose of this chapter is to provide a means for permitting and regulating horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon and greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon in Class 1 municipalities and, further, that it is not a primary purpose of this chapter to provide funds for the various governmental bodies and public or private institutions and organizations to which allocations of portions of the net commission revenues of each commission are made pursuant to this section. The Legislature recognizes that one or more of such governmental bodies, institutions, or organizations may not exist in the sponsoring municipality or in the surrounding county or counties, as the case may be, and that, even if the intended recipients do exist and satisfy the applicable conditions, any one or more of such allocations of the net commission revenues may fail because of legal invalidity or other reasons. The allocations of net commission revenues made pursuant to this section represent the legislative effort to confer an incidental benefit upon a wide spectrum of governmental and charitable activities, all of which may not be present in the same degree in every Class 1 municipality subject to this chapter. Therefore, the legal invalidity or other failure of one or more allocations of net commission revenues made pursuant to this section should not impair the general validity of this chapter or prevent the provisions hereof, other than those relating to the invalid or ineffective allocations, from being implemented as a coherent whole. If and to the extent that any allocation of net commission revenues made to any governmental body or any institution or organization is of such character as to cause this chapter to be a local act, it is the legislative intent that the provisions for such allocation be severed from this chapter and thereby prevented from causing this chapter to be a local act.

Ala. Code § 11-65-36 (1975)

Acts 1984, No. 84-131, p. 159, §36; Acts 1991, No. 91-187, p. 246, §32.