CHAPTER 429
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES

Table of Contents

Secs. 22-119 and 22-120. Annual payments to incorporated agricultural societies. Statement of premiums.
Sec. 22-120a. Reimbursement of Poultry Breeders' Society for premiums paid. Commissioner's duties.
Sec. 22-121. Leases for gambling and immoral shows prohibited.
Sec. 22-122. Forfeiture of appropriation.
Sec. 22-123. Gambling and immoral shows prohibited at or near agricultural fairs.
Sec. 22-124. Special police for fair grounds.
Sec. 22-125. Unlawful conduct on fair grounds; penalty.
Sec. 22-126. Entry of horse for purse; fraudulent concealment of record; penalty.
Sec. 22-126a. Testing of animals in drawing contests. "Drug" defined.

Secs. 22-119 and 22-120. Annual payments to incorporated agricultural societies. Statement of premiums. Sections 22-119 and 22-120 are repealed.
(1949 Rev., S. 3306, 3308; June, 1949, 1951, S. 1779d; 1959, P.A. 637, S. 2; 1961, P.A. 67; February, 1965, P.A. 33, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 85-95; P.A. 91-307, S. 3.)

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Sec. 22-120a. Reimbursement of Poultry Breeders' Society for premiums paid. Commissioner's duties. There shall be paid annually to the Connecticut Poultry Breeders' Society, Incorporated, a sum not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars as reimbursement for cash premiums paid to participants in poultry exhibitions. To be eligible for reimbursement for premium expenses such exhibitions shall be open to exhibitors of all recognized varieties of poultry. The Commissioner of Agriculture shall prescribe the forms and deadlines for application for such reimbursement, and upon certification to the Comptroller by said commissioner of the amount of such annual reimbursement for which said society is eligible, the Comptroller shall draw his order on the Treasurer in favor of said society for such amount.
(1967, P.A. 769, S. 1, 2; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 446, 448.)
History: 1971 act replaced commissioner of agriculture and natural resources with commissioner of agriculture.

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Sec. 22-121. Leases for gambling and immoral shows prohibited. No part of any building or grounds within the enclosure of which is held the fair of any incorporated agricultural society shall be leased for the running of wheel-pools or the unlawful practice of any games of chance or immoral shows; nor shall any person be granted the right or privilege or be permitted to carry on such games or shows within such enclosure during the continuance of such fair, except that this section shall not apply to any bingo game, raffle or bazaar conducted in accordance with the provisions of sections 7-169 to 7-186, inclusive.
(1949 Rev., S. 3309; 1961, P.A. 351, S. 1.)
History: 1961 act added exception re bingo, raffles and bazaars.

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Sec. 22-122. Forfeiture of appropriation. Section 22-122 is repealed.
(1949 Rev., S. 3310; 1959, P.A. 637, S. 2; 1961, P.A. 67; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 91-307, S. 3.)

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Sec. 22-123. Gambling and immoral shows prohibited at or near agricultural fairs. No person shall, during the holding of any agricultural fair, keep, manage, maintain or operate any wheel-pool, dice game, pin game, shell game, coin table, lottery, policy game or other illegal game or keep, manage, advertise or call any obscene, immoral or indecent show, exhibition or muscular dance, or any house or tent of ill-fame, or any house or tent reputed to be resorted to for the purpose of prostitution or lewdness, or have in his possession any appliance or apparatus for the conducting of such games or shows, upon or within one thousand feet of the grounds where such fair is in progress. Any person violating any provision of this section shall, for the first offense, be fined not more than fifty dollars, for the second offense, be fined fifty dollars and imprisoned thirty days and, for each succeeding offense, be fined one hundred dollars and imprisoned sixty days. This prohibition shall extend from sunrise on the opening day to sunset on the closing day of such fair, and the officers of any agricultural society holding such fair may, severally, in person or by their authorized agents, make arrests for any violation of this section and cause prosecution therefor. This section shall not apply to any bingo game, raffle or bazaar conducted in accordance with the provisions of sections 7-169 to 7-186, inclusive.
(1949 Rev., S. 3311; 1961, P.A. 351, S. 2.)
History: 1961 act exempted bingo, raffles and bazaars from provisions of section.

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Sec. 22-124. Special police for fair grounds. The board of managers or executive committee of any agricultural society may appoint as many citizens of this state as it deems necessary to be policemen on its grounds and in its fair buildings, who shall preserve order, prevent trespasses within and around such grounds and buildings, protect the property therein, arrest, eject or temporarily confine in a suitable lockup, on the grounds, all persons guilty of disorderly conduct or other violation of law upon such grounds and generally have the same power upon such grounds as constables or policemen.
(1949 Rev., S. 3312.)
See Sec. 7-92 re appointment of special constables by chief executive officer of municipality.

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Sec. 22-125. Unlawful conduct on fair grounds; penalty. Any person who wilfully damages or destroys property on the fair grounds of an agricultural society or who hinders or obstructs the officers or police in the performance of their duties or wrongfully or maliciously gains admission to the fair grounds without paying the established fee therefor shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both.
(1949 Rev., S. 3313.)

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Sec. 22-126. Entry of horse for purse; fraudulent concealment of record; penalty. No person shall enter or cause to be entered for competition for any purse, prize, premium, stake or sweepstakes, offered or given by any agricultural, trotting or other society, association or person in this state, any horse, mare, gelding, colt or filly under a false or assumed name, or out of its proper class, if such prize, purse, premium, stake or sweepstakes is to depend upon and be decided by a contest of speed. The class to which any such animal is deemed to belong, for the purpose of entry in any such contest of speed, or the class to which any owner, keeper or driver of any such animal has the right to nominate or enter it, shall be determined by some public performance of such animal in a former contest or trial of speed, as provided by the written or printed rules of the society or association under which the proposed contest is advertised to be conducted. Any person who knowingly misrepresents or fraudulently conceals the public performance of a horse, mare, gelding, colt or filly in any former contest or trial of speed for the purpose of securing an entry in any contest referred to in this section, or who violates any other provision of this section, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than three years or both.
(1949 Rev., S. 3314.)

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Sec. 22-126a. Testing of animals in drawing contests. "Drug" defined. The Commissioner of Agriculture at the request and expense of the authority in charge of any animal drawing contest, shall provide for the administration of a program to test, immediately before or after a drawing contest, for the presence of drugs in any animals participating in such contest. The authority may charge the owner of the animal being tested for the cost of such test. The commissioner may, within available appropriations, on his own initiative and at state expense test animals participating in such contest on a random basis for the presence of drugs. The authority in charge of such contest shall provide well-lighted facilities, removed from the public, for the administration of such test. The owner of any animal being so tested shall provide assistance and proper restraint for confining such animal for and during the administration of such test. If the animal continues to resist the test after restraint is applied and the person administering the test determines a danger exists to the animal or persons present at the test, an alternative test shall be administered. No prize money shall be paid until the result of the test is known. If any such test reveals the presence of a drug in any such animal, such animal shall be disqualified to participate in such contest, shall be ineligible to receive any prize money awarded in such contest and such animal shall be barred from participating in any such contest held in this state for a period of one year from the date of receipt by the commissioner of the results of the test. The owner of any such animal shall be barred from entering any other animal in any such contest held in this state for a period of not less than one year nor more than two years at the commissioner's discretion from the date of receipt by the commissioner of the results of the test for the first finding of the presence of a drug and for a period of not less than two years nor more than three years at the commissioner's discretion for a second such finding. The owner of any such animal shall reimburse the authority in charge of such animal drawing contest or the state, as the case may be, for the expense of such test. The owner may appeal, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, any action by the commissioner authorized by this section. As used in this section, "drug" means any medication, stimulant, depressant, hypnotic or narcotic used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in man or other animals.
(1969, P.A. 113; 1971, P.A. 26; 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 74-143, S. 1, 2; P.A. 75-362; P.A. 79-147; P.A. 82-200, S. 1, 2; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-10, S. 6, 20; P.A. 96-243, S. 12, 16.)
History: 1971 acts made provisions applicable to any animals where previously applicable to horses alone and did not specify nature of test to determine presence of drugs where previously "saliva" test was specified and replaced commissioner of agriculture and natural resources with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 74-143 rephrased provisions without changing content of section except to substitute references to animal drawing contests for references to agricultural fairs and to bar animals as well as owners from participation in contests for two years if drug tests positive; P.A. 75-362 required that owner of drugged animal reimburse contest authorities for expense of test; P.A. 79-147 substituted "prohibited substance(s)" for "drug(s)" and defined the term, required tests both before and after contest where previously only postcontest testing required and added provisions detailing responsibilities of contest authorities and animal owners re testing procedure; P.A. 82-200 amended the section to authorize alternative tests, defined and substituted the term "drug" for "prohibited substance", reduced period barring drugged animals from contests from two years to one year, reduced the period barring an owner from contests from two years to between one to two years for a first violation and established a penalty for a second violation and gave the owner the right to appeal; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-10 deleted authority of commissioner to provide for drug-testing of animals at state expense and authorized an authority in charge of certain events to charge for the cost of any such testing which it requires; P.A. 96-243 added provision authorizing commissioner to conduct random drug testing of animals in drawing contests, effective June 6, 1996.


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