Virginia Code 59.1-370: Commission; Executive Secretary; staff; stewards
A. The Commission shall appoint an Executive Secretary and such other employees as it deems essential to perform its duties under this chapter, who shall possess such authority and perform such duties as the Commission shall prescribe or delegate to them. Such employees may include stewards, chemists, veterinarians, inspectors, accountants, guards and such other employees deemed by the Commission to be necessary for the supervision and the proper conduct of the highest standard of horse racing. Such employees shall be compensated as provided by the Commission.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 59.1-370
- Commission: means the Virginia Racing Commission. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
- Horse racing: means a competition on a set course involving a race between horses on which pari-mutuel wagering is permitted and includes historical horse racing. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
- Immediate family: means (i) a spouse and (ii) any other person residing in the same household as an officer or employee, who is a dependent of the officer or employee or of whom the officer or employee is a dependent. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
- Member: includes any person designated a member of a nonstock corporation, and any person who by means of a pecuniary or other interest in such corporation exercises the power of a member. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
- Simulcast horse racing: means the simultaneous transmission of the audio or video portion, or both, of horse races from a licensed horse racetrack or satellite facility to another licensed horse racetrack or satellite facility, regardless of state of licensure, whether such races originate within the Commonwealth or any other jurisdiction, by satellite communication devices, television cables, telephone lines, or any other means for the purposes of conducting pari-mutuel wagering. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
The Executive Secretary, in addition to any other duties prescribed by the Commission, shall keep a true and full record of all proceedings of the Commission and preserve at the Commission’s general office all books, documents and papers of the Commission. Neither the Executive Secretary nor the spouse or any member of the immediate family of the Executive Secretary shall make any contributions to a candidate for office or office holder at the local or state level, or cause such a contribution to be made on his behalf.
B. The stewards appointed by the Commission shall act as racing officials to oversee the conduct of (i) horse racing at licensed racetracks and (ii) simulcast horse racing at satellite facilities. The stewards shall enforce the Commission’s regulations and the provisions of this chapter and shall have authority to interpret the Commission’s regulations and to decide all questions of racing not specifically covered by the regulations of the Commission. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the authority of the Commission to carry out the provisions of this chapter and to exercise control of horse racing as set forth in § 59.1-364, including the power to review all decisions and rulings of the stewards.