03/06/1996 03:10 PM House L&C

 HB 479 - IMMUNITY FOR EQUINE ACTIVITIES                                     
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN PETE KOTT announced the committee would address HB 479,              
 "An Act relating to civil liability for injuries or death resulting           
 from equine activities."                                                      
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GARY DAVIS, sponsor of HB 479, explained at the last           
 hearing on the measure there was testimony on the bill by affected            
 people.  Those people have sent him some very appropriate                     
 recommendations on how to amend the bill.  He noted the committee             
 has a proposed committee substitute where lines 12 and 13 on page             
 2 were deleted because people who engage in equine activities, but            
 do not ride, train or drive an equine, such as a groomer, are                 
 accepting the inherent risk involved with horses.  Death or injury            
 of a spectator was not deleted.  So the bill still exempts a                  
 spectator that may be attending an equine activity.                           
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referred to page 2, line 6, and said the word            
 "defective" was added as it related to equipment and tack.  A                 
 couple of the exemptions were combined into one.                              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referred to page 2, line 14, and said the                
 entire line was deleted and the word "product" was included after             
 "faulty or defective equipment or tack."                                      
                                                                               
 Number 352                                                                    
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referred to page 2, line 23, and said the                
 words "for sponsoring an equine activity," were included.   There             
 was testimony that sometimes an organization may sponsor an                   
 activity and not be related at all.  They may just own a building             
 such as the old sports center in Anchorage which had some horse               
 shows.  They only sponsored the event.                                        
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referred the committee to page 2, line 30, and           
 said the wording, "or a person;" was added.                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referred to page 1, line 9, and said the                 
 wording "or an equine owner" was added to include those people who            
 own equines for personal use but does not provide them for an                 
 equine activity as defined under "equine activity sponsor."  He               
 said if somebody decides to sneak into a owners private barn and              
 decides to take a horse for a joy ride, the owner needs some                  
 liability against this type of behavior.                                      
                                                                               
 Number 612                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN PORTER moved to adopt CSHB 479, Version C                
 dated 3/5/96.  Hearing no objection CSHB 479(L&C), Version C, was             
 before the committee.                                                         
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS said the committee substitute incudes the                
 recommended amendments he had just described.                                 
                                                                               
 Number 615                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GENE KUBINA made a motion to move HB 479, as                   
 amended, out of committee with individual recommendations.  Hearing           
 no objection CSHB 479(L&C) was moved out of the House Labor and               
 Commerce Committee with the accompanying zero fiscal note.