republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20152016/ab-558.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Horse racing: nonthoroughbred races."
description: "(1) The Horse Racing Law generally requires that any license granted to an association other than a fair is only for one type of racing, thoroughbred, harness, or quarter horse racing, as the case may be, except that the California Horse Racing Board may authorize the entering of thoroughbred and Appaloosa horses in quarter horse races at a distance not exceeding 5 furlongs at quarter horse meetings, mixed breed meetings, and fair meetings under specified conditions. That law, notwithstanding these provisions, empowers the board to authorize mixed breed racing that sanctions, among other things, either an association to conduct a quarter horse meeting to include Appaloosa races and Arabian races with the consent of the quarter horse horsemen's organization or a race between a quarter horse and a thoroughbred horse at a thoroughbred meeting with the consent of the thoroughbred horsemen's organization, if each contracts with the association with respect to the conduct of the racing meeting."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "AB 558"
citation: "California AB 558 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Horse racing: nonthoroughbred races."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Low"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 37
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2015-02-23"
last_action: "2016-03-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/83575143-6bf8-4f69-9d79-439a62ada024"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558"
source_hash: "a6982c724ab1c68c978d97cc9429192173b15f19e8bfa478e681acc311303295"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 558 (20152016) — Horse racing: nonthoroughbred races.

(1) The Horse Racing Law generally requires that any license granted to an association other than a fair is only for one type of racing, thoroughbred, harness, or quarter horse racing, as the case may be, except that the California Horse Racing Board may authorize the entering of thoroughbred and Appaloosa horses in quarter horse races at a distance not exceeding 5 furlongs at quarter horse meetings, mixed breed meetings, and fair meetings under specified conditions. That law, notwithstanding these provisions, empowers the board to authorize mixed breed racing that sanctions, among other things, either an association to conduct a quarter horse meeting to include Appaloosa races and Arabian races with the consent of the quarter horse horsemen's organization or a race between a quarter horse and a thoroughbred horse at a thoroughbred meeting with the consent of the thoroughbred horsemen's organization, if each contracts with the association with respect to the conduct of the racing meeting.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/23/15 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55899INT)
2. **02/10/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55897AMD)
3. **03/01/16 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55896AMD)
4. **03/26/15 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55898AMD)
5. **03/29/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55894CHP)
6. **AB558** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558)
7. **03/17/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB558&version=20150AB55895ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **17–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB558 Low By Hall Urgency Clause — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **10–0** (pass) · upper
- With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in. — **20–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Consent Calendar 2nd — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Privacy and Consumer Protection] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 558 LOW Consent Calendar Second Day — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 558 LOW Concurrence - Urgency Added By GRAY — **67–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Low — primary (person)
- Fuller — coauthor (person)
- Gaines — coauthor (person)
- Gray — coauthor (person)
- Huff — coauthor (person)
- Linder — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2015-02-23** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2015-02-24** From printer. May be heard in committee March 26.
- **2015-03-26** Referred to Coms. on A. & A.R. and P. & C.P. `referral-committee`
- **2015-03-26** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on A. & A.R. Read second time and amended. `reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-04-06** Re-referred to Com. on A. & A.R. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-15** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-04-22** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-05-06** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (May 6). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-05-07** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-05-14** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 1448.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-05-14** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2015-05-28** Referred to Com. on G.O. `referral-committee`
- **2015-06-29** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-07-13** In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- **2015-08-17** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. `committee-passage`
- **2015-08-18** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-08-20** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2117.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-08-20** In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. `committee-passage`
- **2015-08-24** Withdrawn from Engrossing and Enrolling.
- **2015-08-24** Ordered to the Senate.
- **2015-08-24** In Senate. Held at Desk.
- **2016-02-10** Action rescinded whereby the bill was read third time, passed, and to Assembly. `reading-3, passage`
- **2016-02-10** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-02-11** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-02-12** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(c). `referral-committee`
- **2016-02-18** Re-referred to Com. on G.O. `referral-committee`
- **2016-02-23** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (February 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-02-29** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and be amended. `committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2016-03-01** Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-03-03** Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 3172.). `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-03-03** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after March 5 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2016-03-03** Re-referred to Com. on G.O. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2. `referral-committee`
- **2016-03-10** From committee: That the Senate amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 20. Noes 0.) (March 10). `committee-passage`
- **2016-03-17** Urgency clause adopted. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 3975.). `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2016-03-21** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.
- **2016-03-29** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-03-29** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 3, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/83575143-6bf8-4f69-9d79-439a62ada024`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).