AL Code § 11-65-16 (2021)
2021 Code of Alabama|Title 11 - Counties and Municipal Corporations.|Title 2 - Provisions Applicable to Municipal Corporations Only.|Chapter 65 - Horse Racing and Greyhound Racing in Class 1 Municipalities.|Section 11-65-16 - Review of Application for Horse Racing Facility License.

Section 11-65-16Review of application for horse racing facility license. (a) A commission shall promptly consider any application for the issuance or transfer of a horse racing facility license submitted to it and shall grant or deny the issuance or transfer of such license based on all information before it, including the results of investigations it deems appropriate. A commission shall deny the issuance of an original horse racing facility license to any applicant unless it finds that the applicant's facility will meet the following minimum standards: (1) That the facilities will provide a track racing surface of at least one mile; (2) That the facility will be appropriate for the conduct of horse racing year-round and at night; and (3) That the facility will be located within the boundaries of the commission municipal jurisdiction or will be located on land in the host county and annexed to the sponsoring municipality prior to the commencement of racing. (b) A commission shall deny the issuance or transfer of a horse racing facility license to any applicant unless it finds that more than 50 percent of both the ownership interest and the voting interest in the applicant (and the applicant's general partner in the event the applicant is a limited partnership) is owned, directly or indirectly, by persons who have a substantial presence in the state. For purposes of this subsection (b), a person shall be deemed to have a substantial presence in the state under any of the following circumstances: (1) If a natural person, then such person has been domiciled in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of the application for a license; (2) If a corporation, then such corporation is incorporated under Title 10, or is incorporated under comparable laws of another state and is licensed or qualified to do business in the state and, in addition, satisfies one of the following alternative sets of conditions: a. Such corporation has maintained its principal place of business, and has actively done business, in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of application for a license, as evidenced either by the employment of at least 100 employees in the state or by the employment of $500,000.00 in assets held in the state during such period; or b. More than 50 percent of both the ownership interest and the voting interest in such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, by natural persons described in subdivision (b)(1), or by one or more corporations described in subdivision (b)(2)a, or by any combination of such natural persons and corporations; (3) If a limited partnership, then such limited partnership is formed or registered under Title 10, and has maintained its principal place of business and at least 50 percent of its assets in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of application for the license, and its general partner has maintained its principal place of business or residence in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of such application; (4) If a general partnership, then such partnership has maintained its principal place of business and at least 50 percent of its assets in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of application for the license; (5) If a financial institution, then such financial institution is a corporation or other legal entity doing business in the state as a bank, national banking association, state banking corporation, trust company, industrial or other loan company, building and loan association, or insurance company and has maintained its principal place of business in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of application for the license; (6) If a trust or custodianship, then at least 50 percent of the corpus of such trust or custodianship is situated in the state and the trustee or custodian of such property has a substantial presence in the state under any of the standards set forth in this subsection (b); or (7) If an estate, then such estate is the estate of a person described in subdivision (b)(1), or at least 50 percent of the property of such estate consists of real estate located in the state or tangible personal property which has been located within the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of application for the license. (c) The provisions of this section which permit a horse racing facility license to be granted only if more than 50 percent of both the ownership interest and the voting interest in the licensee is owned, directly or indirectly, by persons who have a substantial presence in the state shall not be construed (1) to impair the foreclosure rights of any mortgagee holding a mortgage on the racing facility of such licensee securing debt incurred to finance the costs of constructing or purchasing such racing facility or (2) to impair the rights of any mortgagee holding such a mortgage, or the rights of any other person to which such racing facility may be sold in foreclosure, to take and hold title to such racing facility, to lease or sell the same, and to apply for and receive a horse racing facility license therefor from the commission upon compliance with all other applicable provisions of this chapter, irrespective of whether the aforesaid condition of substantial presence in the state shall be satisfied by persons owning, directly or indirectly, more than 50 percent of both the ownership interest and the voting interest in such mortgagee or in any person to which such racing facility shall be sold, as the case may be. (d) A commission shall deny the issuance or transfer of a horse racing facility license to an applicant if it finds that for any reason the issuance or transfer of such license to such applicant would not be in the interests of the people of the sponsoring municipality or that the applicant, or any officer, general partner or director of the applicant, (i) is a disqualified person, (ii) has knowingly made a false statement of a material fact in the application or has deliberately failed to disclose any information called for in the application, or (iii) is not qualified to do business in the state or is not subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the state. (Acts 1984, No. 84-131, p. 159, §16; Acts 1987, No. 87-615, p. 1069, §3; Acts 1991, No. 91-187, p. 246, §14.)