A. The Commission, acting by and through its stewards or at a meeting at which a quorum is present, may suspend or revoke a permit issued under this chapter or fine the holder of such permit a sum not to exceed $10,000, or suspend a permit issued by this chapter and fine the holder of such permit a sum not to exceed $10,000 after a hearing for which proper notice has been given to the permittee, in any case where it determines by a preponderance of the evidence that any provision of this chapter, or any regulation or condition of the Commission, has not been complied with, or has been violated. The Commission may revoke such permit, after such hearing, if it finds that facts not known by it at the time it was considering the application indicate that such permit should not have been issued. Deliberations of the Commission under this section shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act2.2-3700 et seq.). If any permit is suspended or revoked, the Commission shall state its reasons for doing so, which shall be entered of record. Such action shall be final unless an appeal is taken in accordance with § 59.1-373. Suspension or revocation of a permit by the Commission for any violation shall not preclude criminal liability for such violation.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 59.1-390

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Commission: means the Virginia Racing Commission. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
  • 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
  • Permit holder: includes any person holding a permit to participate in any horse racing subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission or in the conduct of a race meeting or pari-mutuel wagering thereon as provided in § 59. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
  • Person: means any individual, group of individuals, firm, company, corporation, partnership, business, trust, association, or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 59.1-365
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • 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

B. The Commission, acting by and through its stewards, or at a meeting at which a quorum is present, may summarily suspend the permit of a person for a period of not more than 90 days pending a hearing and final determination by the Commission or its stewards, if the Commission or its stewards determine the protection of the integrity of horse racing requires emergency action. The Commission or its stewards shall (i) schedule a hearing within 14 business days after the permit is summarily suspended and (ii) notify the permit holder, not less than five business days before the hearing, of the date, time and place of the hearing.

1988, c. 855; 1990, c. 456; 1991, c. 591; 1998, c. 619; 2005, c. 700.