Romanch’s Law (Intro 943) was the subject of a July 15, 2026 New York City Council Health Committee hearing where members pressed the Department of Health (DOH) for a precise count of licensed carriage horses removed from service in the past five years and the disposition of each animal; DOH described its inspection and medical‑review process but did not produce a list or exact numbers at the hearing. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
# What’s happening
– Committee held a hearing on Intro 943 (Romanch’s Law) July 15, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
– DOH described its routine inspection and medical‑review process but gave no five‑year removal count. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=3366
– Witnesses said animal‑welfare groups’ records show over 500 horses left the registry in an eight‑year span. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=32942
# Why it matters
– Carriage horses and carriage‑industry workers face outcomes tied to licensing and disposition rules. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
– Exact removal and disposition data would determine whether horses were rehomed, retired, sold, sent to auction/slaughter, or deceased. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=32942
# Key details
– Council hearing date: July 15, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
– Intro 943 would prohibit new carriage‑operator licenses after June 1, 2028, and ban operations after that date. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
– DOH inspects stables, reviews horse health certificates every four to eight months, and observes horses at Central Park hack stands. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=2653
– DOH said when a medical concern arises owners must have a veterinarian assess the horse and the horse is taken out of service during assessment. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=3366
– Testimony cited animal‑welfare group records showing more than 500 horses left the registry over an eight‑year period. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=32942
– Intro 943, as described at the hearing, would require humane disposition of former carriage horses and bar transfer for slaughter. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
Department of Health (DOH)
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency issuing initial and renewal licenses for carriage horses. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=2653
– Action taken or responsibility: Conducts routine stable and horse inspections, reviews veterinarians’ health certificates, and enforces weather‑related suspensions. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=2653
– Relevant numbers or dates: At the July 15 hearing DOH described procedures but did not provide an exact five‑year removal count. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=3366
Romanch’s Law (Intro 943)
– Role or jurisdiction: Proposed New York City Council local law to phase out horse‑drawn carriages in Central Park. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
– Action taken or responsibility: Would prohibit new carriage‑operator licenses after June 1, 2028, ban operations after that date, require humane disposition, and assign agencies to develop worker transition programs. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
What the hearing record shows, and what it does not
The City Council Health Committee asked DOH for a concrete count and a disposition list covering licensed carriage horses removed from service during the past five years. DOH responded by describing its intake and inspection practice: it receives complaints and referrals, observes horses at hack stands and stables, and when a veterinarian‑level concern arises it requires owners to have a veterinarian assess the animal; during that assessment the horse is taken out of service. DOH did not provide a catalog or a numeric tally of every horse removed and its final disposition at the hearing. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=3366
Animal‑welfare witnesses and advocates gave additional context. Testimony presented records compiled by animal‑welfare groups stating that more than 500 horses left the carriage registry over an eight‑year span; witnesses also alleged that some retired horses are returned to auctions or sold into farm labor or slaughter, though that allegation was made by advocates and not proven on the council record at the hearing. The hearing record contains these claims but not a verified, itemized list matching each removed licensed horse to a specific final outcome. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=32942
What the bill would require about horse disposition
Intro 943, as described in committee testimony, would require the humane disposition of former carriage horses and would prohibit sales or transfers that would result in slaughter or use in another horse‑drawn‑cab business. The bill would also direct city agencies to provide information to owners about organizations that can receive or acquire horses for humane purposes. Those provisions were discussed in testimony but the hearing did not include an agency‑verified inventory of past dispositions. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
Why the exact list was not produced at the hearing
DOH testified about processes and inspections and said it monitors health certificates and observes horses in the field, but it did not present a compiled list of horses removed from service or their post‑service destinations for the prior five years during oral testimony. The hearing record therefore does not contain the “exactly how many” number or an animal‑by‑animal disposition ledger. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=2653
What readers who want the exact data can look for in public records (based on hearing context)
The hearing points to the agencies that would hold relevant records: the Department of Health (which issues horse licenses and reviews health certificates) and, for operational licensing and worker transition matters, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). The hearing did not include a public, itemized disposition report; the committee asked agencies questions but they supplied descriptions of process rather than an animal‑level inventory. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=2653; https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
Reporting note: this article uses testimony and statements from the New York City Council Health Committee hearing on July 15, 2026. It reports what DOH and witnesses said in that hearing and identifies which specific data were not produced on the record. Source: https://youtu.be/TykAgSqMA4I&t=832
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