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In a year-end Q&A, ASPCA Government Relations senior vice president Nancy P. described the organization’s 2026 priorities: improving access to pet-friendly housing and veterinary care, and defending state farm-animal welfare laws. She also highlighted New York City’s October City Council vote to phase out commercial horse-drawn carriages, with support for drivers and horses. The ASPCA says it plans to focus on veterinary access, housing and disaster response in 2027.
The ASPCA’s Government Relations team says its 2026 work focused on pet-friendly housing, veterinary-care access and defending state animal-welfare laws, while a New York City Council vote in October advanced a ban on commercial horse-drawn carriages. In a year-end Q&A, senior vice president Nancy P. described the organization’s policy efforts and its priorities for 2027, including expanding veterinary services and preparing for disasters that affect animals and people.
Nancy P., who has spent 15 years at the ASPCA and oversees its local, state and federal legislative and regulatory policy work, said the organization develops policy proposals with input from veterinarians and sheltering experts, then asks supporters to advocate for them. She said its goal is to address harmful systems and prevent cruelty through legal change, with priorities spanning dogs, cats, horses and farm animals.
The three priorities she identified for 2026 were improving housing and sheltering policies so people can remain with their pets; expanding access to veterinary care; and blocking efforts to reverse protections for farm animals. Housing work included reducing obstacles to pet-friendly rentals, addressing what the ASPCA describes as discriminatory insurance practices, and increasing crisis shelter options during disasters and extreme weather. Veterinary proposals included permitting remote appointments, expanding the work veterinary technicians can perform and adjusting licensing laws.
The ASPCA also cited federal advocacy around Goldie’s Act, which it supports as a way to require accountability in government oversight of puppy mills. The organization says it helped block congressional attacks on state animal-welfare laws in 2026 to date. Those are descriptions of the ASPCA’s efforts; the Q&A does not provide a complete legislative tally or detail the status of every proposal.
On horses, Nancy pointed to the New York City Council’s October vote to eliminate commercial horse-drawn carriages, with transitional support for drivers and retirement support for horses. The ASPCA presents the vote as the result of a long campaign. The Q&A says a young tourist died that summer and that opposition to a ban then fell apart, but it does not provide details about the death or establish further specifics about its circumstances.
Housing, Care and Animal Protections
The priorities the ASPCA describes address practical pressures that can affect whether families keep their pets and whether animals receive timely care. Pet-friendly rentals and crisis sheltering can help reduce separation when housing becomes unavailable or emergencies force people from home. Changes to veterinary rules, if adopted, could affect how and where services are provided, including the roles of veterinary technicians and remote appointments.
The organization’s account also points to a continuing policy dispute over whether federal action could weaken state animal-welfare protections. Its effort to defend those laws, alongside support for Goldie’s Act and the city carriage-horse ban, shows how its advocacy operates at different levels of government. The Q&A describes the ASPCA’s positions and reported activity, but does not independently establish the effects of the campaigns or the outcome of every legislative effort.
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From Long Campaigns to 2027
Nancy said major policy changes typically follow years of research, coalition-building and advocacy, even when the moment a proposal advances depends on political circumstances. She used the carriage-horse campaign as an example: the ASPCA says it has worked on horse welfare since its founding in 1866, including providing water, veterinary care and oversight at different points in its history before advocating for a prohibition in New York City.
Looking ahead, the ASPCA says it will explore new ways to expand veterinary access and continue building state-level networks around housing policy. It also plans to press for animal safety in rescue operations and temporary shelters as wildfires, hurricanes and heat waves pose ongoing challenges. The Q&A identifies those as organizational plans, not enacted policies or guaranteed results.
Legislative Status and Next Steps
The Q&A does not list every bill the ASPCA supported or opposed, identify all measures that passed, or give a full accounting of the organization’s 2026 legislative outcomes. It describes Goldie’s Act as a priority but does not specify its current legislative status, next vote or timeline. The reference to blocked congressional attacks on state laws is also not accompanied by bill names or details of the action taken.
The ASPCA says the New York City Council cast a final vote in October to eliminate commercial carriage operations and provide support to drivers and horses. The Q&A does not give the ban’s implementation schedule, how the support will be administered or the number of people and horses affected. The organization’s plans for 2027 remain priorities rather than confirmed legislative results.
Advocacy Plans for 2027
The ASPCA says its next phase will include exploring policy options to expand veterinary care, building networks of state leaders to support housing campaigns, and advocating for animal-inclusive disaster rescue and temporary sheltering. Supporters can take part through the organization’s volunteer networks: District Captains, the Regional Advocacy Field Team, or the Horse Action Team.
Specific bills, campaign timetables and legislative milestones for 2027 were not provided in the Q&A. The next concrete developments will depend on which proposals are introduced, how lawmakers respond and whether the ASPCA’s advocacy efforts translate into enacted or implemented policies.
Key Questions
What were the ASPCA’s main legislative priorities in 2026?
The organization identified pet-friendly housing and crisis sheltering, expanded access to veterinary care, and protection of state farm-animal welfare laws as its three leading priorities.
What did New York City’s October vote do?
According to the ASPCA, the City Council cast a final vote to eliminate commercial horse-drawn carriages, with transitional support for drivers and retirement support for horses. The Q&A does not state the implementation schedule.
What is Goldie’s Act?
The ASPCA supports Goldie’s Act as legislation to require greater accountability in government oversight of puppy mills. The Q&A does not give the bill’s current status or a timeline for further action.
What does the ASPCA plan to focus on in 2027?
The organization says it will explore ways to expand veterinary access, build state-level housing advocacy networks, and push for animal safety in disaster rescue and temporary shelters.
How can supporters participate?
The ASPCA lists three volunteer options: District Captains, the Regional Advocacy Field Team and the Horse Action Team. Each connects supporters with advocacy work, including campaigns on equine welfare.
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