Forced Closure of Small Businesses, American Dreams Destroyed

New York City lost thousands of small businesses last year. Unable to pay their rent, staff, and taxes, they closed-up shop. Intro. 943 would throw fuel on the fire.

The bill, which would ban horse-carriage rides, would force 68 mom-and-pop small business in the tourism industry to shut down. Horse-Carriage owners would be stripped of their city-owned medallions and about 150 active drivers would be unemployed. How does this possibly make sense? Especially when there are alternatives, such as other legislation introduced by Councilman Jim Genarro that would add safety-enhancing infrastructure to Central Park, like hitching posts, while codifying reforms and new regulations that city agencies would be mandated to enforce.

Intro. 943 has no funding, no mandated economic compensation or relief for carriage-owners and drivers. It only promises to draft a plan. The only certainty is the American dream for dozens of small business owners, nearly all immigrants, would be destroyed.