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.