The City Council on Thursday overwhelmingly voted "yea" for "neigh" more horse carriages in Central Park. The 51-member council passed with a veto-proof majority, 40-7, the measure to ban horse carriage licensing and operation in the park, known as Romanch's Law , on Oct. 22. The legislation was named by its sponsor, Council Member Christopher Marte (D-Manhattan), for Romanch Mahajan — a teenage tourist from India who died after being thrown from a horse carriage over the summer.

The vote capped a nearly two-decade fight by animal rights advocates — including the groups New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) and PETA — and several lawmakers to outlaw the 168-year-old horse carriage industry in the park. They have long argued that the practice is cruel to the horses, many of whom have collapsed , died, and endangered parkgoers and pedestrians after breaking free and running loose .

Romanch's Law passed despite fierce opposition from carriage industry drivers and owners, as well as the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, the union that represents them. They argue the city is outlawing their industry without providing guaranteed job protections and compensation for its roughly 200 workers and carriage owners.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who came out in support of the bill in the weeks after Mahajan's death, has championed its passage as necessary for making Central Park safer for the millions of New Yorkers and tourists who use it each year.

Menin, during a news conference before the vote, noted the historic nature of the bill's passage. She reiterated that it was spurred by Mahajan's death, which she said was "one death too many."

"For 19 years, mayors and speakers alike have tried to convert this idea into reality," Menin said on Thursday. "When Romanch Mahajan was taken from his family, from our city, from the world, it was a turning point. … And the law that we are going to pass today will prevent the next one."

When casting his vote on the council floor, Marte said: "It's beyond clear that New Yorkers are ready for us to evolve past the beyond dated condition of horse carriages in Central Park. We can keep Central Park as a destination for New Yorkers and tourists without relying on legalized animal cruelty that puts New Yorkers and the public at risk."

The bill must still go before Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his signature; he may choose to sign or veto it, or allow it to lapse into enactment should he not sign or veto it within 30 days. Mamdani's office worked with the council on amending the bill's language, following a public hearing in July .

Marte said that in addition to outlawing horse carriage operations, the measure requires the mayoral administration to establish a worker transition program and bars horses from being sold to slaughterhouses or to work in other cities' carriage industries.

"W e really wanted to make this a win-win solution," Marte said. "One that protects the animals, the horses who have given so much to our city, but also to make sure that the workers have a just transition to new careers."

The administration must deliver the transition plan to the mayor and the speaker by April 2027.

The vote did face one hiccup when Council Member James Gennaro (D-Queens) made a motion to introduce an amendment to the legislation that would have moved back its effective date from June 2028 to 2030. The Queens council member cited needing more time to put stronger worker protections into the bill as the rationale for the amendment — claiming that as it currently stands, workers only have 14 months to find other employment.

"What I'm asking for is, give them another 18 months to figure out their lives," Gennaro said of the carriage industry members. "They were supposed to have today what they need to know what is to become of them."

"We will see them in court," Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp said in a statement following the vote. " This bill is blatantly unconstitutional, providing nothing but a plan to draft a plan. There’s nothing concrete for hundreds of workers, carriage owners and family members who face total economic devastation…This fight isn't over."

Carriage industry workers and owners and Local 100 have charged that the legislation does not include language ensuring they will receive future employment or compensation for the costly medallions they purchased in order to operate. They have also said the bill does not have provisions that will actually protect horses from getting slaughtered.