Legislators in Suffolk County are adding teeth to the country’s first animal abuse registry and state lawmakers are trying to ban horse-drawn carriage rides in the city of New York.

Suffolk County, located on the eastern end of Long Island, last year became the first municipality in the country to require individuals convicted of animal abuse to add their names to a government database. There are legal consequences if an offender fails to registerÑa jail sentence or a fineÑbut it’s not at all clear how, or even whether, a registration requirement actually will curb animal abuse