U.S.
Mamdani, NYC Council speaker back horse-carriage phaseout bill
A new Council announcement describes transition programs and a humane-horse-disposition plan. The vote is still pending, and the public legislative file has not yet caught up with the announced final version.
Executive summary
- A vote is planned, not completed: The Council speaker announced that the full Council will vote on Romanch’s Law on Oct. 22. The legislation has not passed; 29 Council members are listed as co-sponsors in the announcement.[1][2][3]
- The posted bill sets a 2028 end date: The latest text publicly posted under Introduction 943 would stop new horse-cab license applications after May 31, 2028, and end operations beginning June 1, 2028. It also bars specified transfers of licensed horses for slaughter or use in another horse-drawn cab business.[3][4][5]
- Worker protections remain part of the debate: The Council says the version headed for a vote would require job referrals, counseling and placement, hiring events, education and tuition-assistance opportunities, plus help owners find humane dispositions for the horses. The announcement does not specify direct compensation or program funding.[1][3]
On Oct. 14, Council Speaker Julie Menin announced that the full Council will vote on Romanch’s Law on Oct. 22. The Council says 29 members are co-sponsors and describes the proposal as a phaseout of Central Park horse-drawn carriages by June 1, 2028. The Council has not voted, so the proposal is not law.[1][2][6][3]
The proposal, often called Romanch’s Law after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan died following a runaway-carriage incident in Central Park in June, has been debated for years. The Associated Press reported at the time that Mahajan fell from a carriage after its horse bolted while the driver was away from it. The new agreement is a change in legislative prospects: a previous version failed to advance out of committee in 2025, according to AP.[7][8][5]
New York City Council’s file for Introduction 0943-2026 says no new horse-cab license applications would be accepted after May 31, 2028, and valid licenses would expire no later than June 1, 2028, when operations would be prohibited. The bill would also require owners to notify the city before disposing of licensed horses and certify that they are not being transferred for slaughter, transport to slaughter, or use in another horse-drawn cab business.[3][4]
The Council’s Oct. 14 announcement says the version due for a vote would require the administration to create programs offering job referrals, career counseling and placement, hiring events and career fairs, educational opportunities and tuition assistance. It also says the bill would establish a program to help owners find humane dispositions for horses. The public Legistar file still lists Introduction 0943-2026 as laid over in committee and shows the introduced text, rather than an amended final version; the Council’s announcement describes what it says will be voted on, not an enacted law.[1][3]
The Council says the transition programs would include referrals to jobs, counseling, placement, hiring events, educational opportunities and tuition assistance, and that owners would receive help finding humane dispositions for their horses. The announcement does not identify direct compensation, funding amounts or eligibility rules. The Council also says Menin’s office is forming a working group with one representative each from the administration, labor and the Speaker’s office.[1]
Transport Workers Union representatives have opposed the phaseout, arguing that job counseling and a transition plan would not replace the economic value of workers’ livelihoods and owners’ city-issued medallions. The Council’s newly announced programs add detail to the proposed transition, but the final bill text, funding and implementation rules remain important to the vote and later administration work.[9][10][1]