NYC Council hearing spotlights safety, worker transition as bill to ban horse‑drawn carriages is debated

The New York City Council’s Committee on Health held a full‑day hearing on Intro 09‑43, a proposal to phase out horse‑drawn carriages that the bill’s sponsor and family members said was prompted by the June death of 18‑year‑old tourist Ramansh Mahajan.

Speaker Julie Menon opened the session with a plea for action, saying the city had reached “a turning point” after the recent fatality and that the council must act “to ensure that this never happens again.” The bill, described by witnesses and advocates as “Ramansh’s law,” would prohibit issuance of new carriage owner licenses and require a phased wind‑down along with guaranteed humane disposition of retired horses and a workforce development program for affected workers.

Mahajan’s family testified at length. Priya Mahajan described the June ride in Central Park: “He took his last breath in his mother’s arm,” she told the committee, urging lawmakers to pass the bill so “let his death not be in vain.” Relatives and the family’s lawyer said the driver stepped away from the carriage to take photos, the horse bolted and the boy suffered a catastrophic head injury.

City agency officials said they support the intent of the bill while flagging implementation details. Corinne Schiff, deputy commissioner for environmental health at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told the committee the department issues licenses, runs the carriage‑operators course and conducts inspections and weather‑related suspensions. “The administrative code is very clear that drivers may not leave the horse unattended,” she said, and added the department is reviewing how it would implement the bill’s requirements for horse disposition and workforce programming.

Agency witnesses gave the committee several operational figures: DOHMH said there are, as of late June, just under 160 licensed horses and three stables serving the industry, and DCWP reported 208 licensed drivers and 68 owner‑level carriage licenses. DOHMH also said there were 102 weather‑related suspensions in the prior three years; the carriage‑operator course includes a written and practical exam and was offered irregularly in 2025 because of staffing constraints (DOHMH said 18 people took the course in 2025).

Council members pressed the administration on enforcement history and data. Some lawmakers argued the industry has not complied with prior inspections or allowed full independent veterinary checks; others asked whether more training, limits on where carriages can operate or hitching posts would be a workable compromise. DOHMH and DCWP said they are open to refining worker‑protections language but cautioned the council that structural, long‑term solutions must be developed with multiple agencies and labor partners.

The public record at the hearing was extensive and divided. Animal‑welfare groups, veterinarians and several Sanctuary coalitions urged an immediate ban and committed to coordinated retirement and placement plans for the horses. “No amount of regulation can eliminate the risks of asking prey animals to work in this dense urban setting,” one veterinary witness said. The Central Park Conservancy supported a phase‑out and offered data showing eight horse‑related incidents in Central Park in the prior 13 months, and urged an orderly transition for workers and animals.

Industry representatives, carriage owners and TWU Local 100 representatives opposed an immediate ban. They argued many drivers are immigrant workers whose livelihoods would be lost, disputed some data cited by advocates, and pressed the council to consider reforms, better enforcement of existing rules, and a more gradual transition with compensation for owners. TWU and owner witnesses said the industry provides year‑round and seasonal work for a small community and that the city should fund workforce alternatives.

Several equine veterinarians told the committee they found signs of chronic conditions and housing limitations in periodic inspections and said a single veterinary exam is a snapshot that cannot guarantee a horse will not be startled on a given day. Some vets who examined horses under city solicitations described limited owner cooperation during inspections and cited findings such as old scars, dental issues and conditions that warrant concern.

The committee closed the hearing without taking a vote. Chair Lynn Shulman reminded the public that members and witnesses could submit additional written testimony to testimony@council.nyc.gov within 72 hours, and that the administration and council staff will continue negotiating bill language including worker‑transition provisions. No formal action was recorded at the hearing itself.

What’s next: The hearing laid out the main policy choices ahead — whether to adopt a statutory phase‑out with specified funding and placement guarantees for horses and retraining for workers, or to pursue tougher enforcement and targeted reforms instead. The sponsor and many advocates want a clear timetable for winding down the industry; industry representatives urged more hearings and legally enforceable compensations for medallion or owner license holders.

(Reporting note: quotes and figures above are drawn verbatim from committee testimony and agency statements recorded in the hearing transcript.)