State Control of NYRA May Be Extended
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing an extension of the state's control period over the New York Racing Association for up to an additional year.
While state officials a couple years ago insisted they wanted the state's oversight period to conclude near the end of 2015, a small provision tucked into a state budget briefing book by Cuomo says the maximum term for the existing reorganization board should be extended from three years to four years.
The plan appears to be an admission that state officials, or at least the governor, do not believe NYRA has advanced far enough at this point to return to its private corporation status.
In legislation proposed late the afternoon of Jan. 21, the Cuomo administration said the extension "would be put into place...in the event a prospective governing structure is not enacted prior to the scheduled termination of the board."
The current law has the reorganization board set to be in place through this October.
The 17-member New York Racing Association Reorganization Board, created in the aftermath of what Cuomo said were various problems in the finances and structure of NYRA, is dominated by state-appointed members.
Additional information on the plan was not immediately available. The provision, just one paragraph in length, was deep inside one of the governor's briefing books on his 2015 state budget plan.
The governor on the afternoon of Jan. 21 was giving his State of the State and budget address to lawmakers and other guests at a state convention center near the Capitol.
The NYRA reorganization board was created in 2012. The NYRA board in recent months has been working on a number of plans to go from state control back to some sort of private entity.