The New Hampshire state senate has voted 18-5 to eliminate an annual $325,000 subsidy for dog and horse breeders, and instead direct the money to the public school system.
The measure, which has already been approved by the House, now goes on to Gov. John Lynch for his signature.
Currently, the subsidy, which has been in effect for 43 years, boosts the winning purses for Sweepstakes Races run at four dog and horse tracks along with a state racing fair in Rochester.
But on April 20, by a 15-9 margin, the senate voted to end the subsidy in mid-2009 - two years later than a deadline approved by the state House of Representatives. The senate version of the bill also had an original deadline of 2007 for ending the subsidy, but a compromise of two years late was eventually agreed upon.
GREY2K USA, a national anti-Greyhound racing group, had been leading the efforts to get the bill ending the subsidy passed. It placed a full-page ad in a New Hampshire newspaper before the vote hoping to convince members of the state senate to join their campaign.
Although the strategy worked, GREY2K members said after the vote that they were disappointed in the senate amending the bill to keep the subsidy in place until 2009.
Posted: April 26, 2006, 5 a.m. EST