Moves on the Board: Week of March 31 - April 4, 2025
♟️CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
Mayor Parker was joined by leaders in her administration and members of Philadelphia City Council on Monday, March 31, to honor Transgender Day of Visibility and raise the Transgender Pride Flag outside of City Hall. The Mayor stood with members of the LGBTQ+ community and reaffirmed her OnePhilly commitment to transgender individuals at the event as the Trump administration uses the power of federal funding to penalize institutions like the University of Pennsylvania for its trans-inclusive policies.
The Mayor emphasised her education policies this week. On Tuesday, April 1, she kicked off the Brotherhood Empowerment Network (B.E.N.), a student mentorship program by hosting students from Fels High School at City Hall. This program is led by Abu Edwards, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement. Additionally on Wednesday, April 2, Mayor Parker launched #ItsASummerThing, the Parker administration’s extensive summer programming for children and families. #ItsASummerThing harnesses the collective power of eight city agencies to provide youth opportunities, free meal distribution, and parental resources. For a full list of summer programs, click here.
Mayor Parker joined leadership from the Delaware River Port Authority and several local officials on Thursday, April 3, to celebrate the reopening of the decades long dormant PATCO Franklin Square Station and high-speed line connecting Philadelphia to New Jersey. Also on Thursday,he Mayor kicked off her first in a series of ‘One Philly 2.0’ Budget Town Hall meetings in West Oak Lane. Mayor Parker detailed her proposed investments within the $6.7 billion FY26 budget proposal that she released last month. Community members had the opportunity to ask questions and engage with local government in their own neighborhood.
City Council
Philadelphia City Council held four budget hearings this week on Tuesday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 3. No other committee hearings were held this week, but next week’s calendar is jam-packed. More on that below.
New Legislation We’re Watching
Councilmember Gauthier introduced Bill No. 250291, which would exempt Turn the Key projects from the affordable housing zoning overlay in her district.
Councilmembers Lozada, Bass, and Driscoll introduced bill No. 250292, restricting commercial business hours in the entire 7th and 8th Districts. This bill also includes restrictions in portions of Kensington located within the 1st District. Establishments in these areas would be prohibited from operating between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m, unless they have a valid restaurant liquor license. Businesses in these areas would face a $1,000 fine per violation for each day the offense continues. The city has seen a proliferation of similar restrictions across the City.
Councilmember Thomas introduced a resolution authorizing the Education Committee to hold hearings investigating the current state of higher education as institutions grapple with generational changes taking place.
Budget Hearings
This week, various agencies testified at hearings related to the Mayor’s proposed FY26 budget. Those agencies included the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Finance, and the Office of Clean and Green. Here is the link to the full FY2026 budget hearing schedule.
Legislation Passed This Week
Councilmember Young recalled Bill No. 240427-AA that Council passed last week. This bill dealt with changes in nonconforming uses of a property and faced the threat of a Mayor’s veto.
Council passed a ceremonial resolution and a resolution to transfer properties to the Land Bank.
Next Week’s Moves
If you’d like to keep up with City Budget hearings, check out City Council’s Budget Center for the full schedule and relevant documents. The following departments will testify during budget hearings next week:
Police
Office of Public Safety
Managing Director’s Office
Prisons
The Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and The Homeless will meet on Monday, April 7, to discuss Bill Numbers 250044 and 250045 regarding security deposits for residential rentals and other fees.
The Committee on Streets and Services will meet on Monday, April 7, to discuss 15 Bills related to parking violations and traffic codes.
The Committee on Appropriations will meet on Thursday, April 10, to discuss the FY25 funding transfer package, which includes Bill Numbers 250204, 250205, and 250206.
♟️COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
Lt. Governor Austin Davis and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding led a roundtable on Wednesday at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank on the impact of federal funding cuts to USDA. They met with food bank leaders and farmers to highlight the administration’s efforts in fighting back against these cuts. They specifically highlighted Governor Shapiro’s $8 million proposal to tackle food insecurity.
Governor Shapiro spent Wednesday with local leaders and business owners at Fegley’s Brew Works in Bethlehem, highlighting his proposal to invest $20 million into the Main Street Matters grant program. The Governor specifically talked about the impact that the new federal tariffs will have on small businesses.
On Thursday, Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich joined the Westmoreland County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to announce another level of transparency in AAA performance. The Department is working with local AAAs to ensure their compliance with regulations. They also highlighted the recent modernization of their monitoring system, CAPE, a public tool to track AAA performance.
📰 Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
♟️PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The State Senate was in session this week.
Committee News:
House:
The House Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, April 2 to discuss how to best support federal workforce firings. The impact of federal workforce reductions was discussed both in terms of economic impact, as well as a lack of vital services provided within the Commonwealth. Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order 2025-01 encourages the recruitment of laid off federal government employees for positions within the Commonwealth.
Senate:
The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing on Monday, March 31 to discuss energy affordability for consumers. Chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Stephen DeFrank, testified on the PUC’s efforts to keep consumer energy prices affordable. Chairman DeFrank highlighted the establishment of large load tariffs and efforts to refine load growth projections. Subsequent testifiers discussed Gov. Shapiro's Lightning Plan, the need for decarbonization and electrification, as well as energy-efficient housing.
The Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee held a public hearing on Tuesday, April 1 to discuss innovation within Pennsylvania's life sciences sector. He testified that the life sciences sector employs over 102,000 individuals and contributes more than $61 billion annually to the economy. For each job directly related to life sciences, four additional ancillary jobs are supported.
The Senate Education Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, April 2 highlighting the successes and achievements of the Commonwealth’s career and technical education programs. The need for additional funding was discussed, along with how to best expand these programs in order to address the waitlists often associated with classes. Testifiers mentioned the importance of working with updated equipment, as well as the need to credit the professional experience of individuals transitioning from the workforce into an educational position.
Press Conferences
On Wednesday, April 2, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and members of his Caucus kicked off Fair Housing Month where they called for additional housing funding. Legislators highlighted several pieces of legislation that they will be introducing including rent increase caps, affordable housing public databases, and affordable housing trust fund enhancements.
Next Week’s Moves
The House of Representatives is in voting session next Monday, April 7, through Wednesday, April 9.
To view the full schedule of hearings next week click here.
The House Calendar for Monday, April 7 is published here with the bills that are on second consideration for the floor.