New York City Council
Animal Welfare Caucus announces legislative priorities
The new caucus will be pushing ten bills in the city council next year.
New York City Council Member Harvey Epstein, chair of the council’s Animal Welfare Caucus, is preparing for the council’s next animal-friendly priorities. John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
It’s not just a ban on horse carriages – New York City Council’s new Animal Welfare Caucus has big legislative plans for next year.
Council Member Harvey Epstein, chair of the caucus, is announcing what bills the caucus will push Thursday night at a caucus event. All ten bills were introduced earlier this year, and the package includes a bill banning horse carriages in New York City that’s set to be voted on next week.
Epstein told City & State ahead of the announcement that the caucus decided to back these specific bills at a retreat earlier this year. “It’s a very large caucus that’s really focused in on something that has not gotten the attention it deserves,” Epstein said of the 21-member bipartisan caucus. But he’s not picking any favorites, or making predictions of what he expects to advance first. “I think all these are really good bills, and all of them have a good shot at passing.
Some of the bills had failed in previous years, like one first introduced by Council Member Shanana Hanif in 2023 that would require the Bronx Zoo to give up custody of its elephant (When the bill first introduced, the Bronx Zoo had two elephants, but Happy the elephant died this May, leaving Patty as the lone elephant.) Last year, Epstein introduced a bill that would ban the retail sale of non-poultry birds like parrots and finches that was reintroduced in May.
Other bills have received less attention, like one introduced by Council Member Carl Wilson in September that would establish price transparency requirements for veterinary care facilities. Another would eliminate blanket no-pet clauses in unsubsidized rental housing in the city, sponsored by Council Member Chris Marte. A bill introduced by Council Member Shaun Abreu in January would allow sick time to be used for caring for a companion or service animal.
The Animal Welfare Caucus, announced in March, turned its focus to legislation after securing a combined $1.5 million in the budget for affordable spay/neuter services and a pet food pantry. The caucus doesn’t have a budget, but it does employ an executive director, Karolina Gomez.