Moves on the Board: Week of March 24 - 28, 2025
♟️CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
Mayor Parker started last week with a special session in City Council chambers to deliver her administration’s plans related to the Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) initiative. The mayor ran on a platform that included building or restoring 30,000 housing units in the city. The mayor proposed to build 13,500 new homes and preserve 16,500 existing dwellings. She also called for several changes to the city’s Land Bank which currently requires interagency cooperation between the Parker administration, City Council, and Sheriff’s Office. The H.O.M.E. initiative creates a new fund - the Land Bank Acquisition Fund - to acquire repossessed property at public auctions, simplifying the online process of acquiring property through the Land Bank, and pre-authorized sale of properties. The proposed H.O.M.E. initiative legislation has not yet been transferred to City Council for legislative hearings and debate. It is expected to be introduced this spring and be considered simultaneously with the proposed FY26 City Budget.
PhillyStat360 in partnership with Vision Zero released a new dashboard that quantifies the city’s improvements to reduce traffic fatalities. Vision Zero is a shared priority between the Parker administration and Philadelphia City Council.
On Thursday, March 27, the administration announced Commerce Director Alba Martinez’s departure effective Thursday, May 1, 2025. The administration stated that a search to identify a new director is underway.
Mayor Parker made time to have fun last week. The city renamed 59th Street to Will Smith Way on Wednesday, March 26, and the Mayor will attend the opening night of Dreamgirls at the Walnut Street Theater on Friday, March 28.
City Council
Philadelphia City Council kicked off FY26 Budget Hearings on Tuesday, March 25. The Mayor’s Big Three – Chief of Staff Tiffany Thurman, Chief Deputy Mayor Sinceré Harris, and Chief Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett Harley – testified on behalf of the administration outlining how the proposed budget invests in Mayor Parker’s priorities in alignment with issues championed by members of City Council. The Finance Group, led by Finance Director Rob Dubow and Budget Director Sabrina Maynard, were in City Council chambers for their respective department hearings on Wednesday, March 26.
City Council’s Committee on Public Health and Human Services met on Friday, March 28, to discuss Councilmember Nina Ahmad’s Bill No. 250213 which expands penalties, enforcement, and compliance for businesses selling electronic smoking devices – also known as vapes. All 17 members of City Council are cosponsors of this legislation and it is expected to sail through the Council’s voting calendar when it is reported from this committee next week.
City Council met for a voting legislative session on Thursday, March 27. Most legislation introduced in yesterday’s session pertained to ceremonial resolutions honoring Philadelphians for their unique contributions to the city. There is one new package of legislation to check out below.
New Legislation We’re Watching
Councilmembers Brooks and O’Rourke introduced the “People’s Tax Plan” offering an alternative tax policy package to Mayor Parker’s proposed budget. This plan builds on Councilmember Brooks’ previously circulated wealth tax proposal, increasing wage tax refunds for low-income families to ease the burden of the flat tax on unearned income, and shifting more tax responsibility to higher-income earners. It also proposes doubling tax breaks for small businesses and introducing a 0.4% tax on stocks and bonds held by city residents which is predicted to raise $200 million in revenue annually.
City Council will be in neighborhoods across the city to hear from constituents about FY26 Budget priorities. Check out the schedule below for a town hall in your community.
Upcoming City Council Budget Town Hall Dates:
April 10 - South Philadelphia High School
April 15 - Martin Luther King High School
April 25 - John F. Street Community Center
April 29 - West Philadelphia High SchoolNext Week’s Moves
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:
Chief Administrative Office
Office of Human Resources
Office of Innovation & Technology
Procurement
Human Services
Mayor’s Office of Education
Sanitation
Office of Clean and Green Group PEA
Streets
Water
Aviation
The Joint Committees on Licenses & Inspections and Public Safety will meet on Monday, March 31, to discuss Bill No. 250052 which authorizes hearings on enforcement against drug paraphernalia stores.
The Joint Committees on Education and Children & Youth will meet on Friday, April 3, to discuss Bill Numbers 240632 and 240642 which authorizes hearings to explore the creation of a School District of Philadelphia Chief of Joy and the prevalence of the usage of exclusionary school discipline and the use of collective punishment practices in Philadelphia public schools..
♟️COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
Governor Shapiro and Agriculture Secretary Redding hosted a roundtable at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to discuss USDA’s decision to cancel a federal agreement in the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. The agreement provides $13 million in federal funds over three years to support 189 farms and 14 food banks in Pennsylvania. The Governor stated that agriculture is a central part of the Commonwealth’s economy, and he will continue to make it a top priority for his administration.
The Governor visited Penn England Farms on Wednesday to highlight his “Lightning Plan” which would help lower energy costs for the agriculture industry and rural communities in Pennsylvania. This plan, which is backed by labor leaders, industry experts, environmental advocates, and consumer groups, would reduce nearly 40,000 metric tons of pollution each year by allowing multiple farmers to share a digester and sell excess energy back to the grid. Governor Shapiro expressed this plan would cut costs, and create jobs for the demanding energy industry.
📰 Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
♟️PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Special Election
On Tuesday, March 25, special elections were held in Senate District 36 (Lancaster) and House District 35 (Allegheny). These seats were vacated by the resignation of former State Senator Ryan Aument to lead U.S. Senator Dave McCormick’s statewide office and the unexpected passing of State Rep. Matthew Gergley.
Senate District 36: Democrat, James Malone, narrowly defeated Republican Commissioner Josh Parsons, flipping the seat blue for the first time since the 1980s. Senator-Elect Malone is the Mayor of East Petersburg in Lancaster County.
House District 35: Democrat, Dan Goughhour, won the open seat left by the late Representative Matt Gergely. This victory means Democrats will maintain their one-seat majority in the House.
Press Conferences & Events
Client Highlights
On Monday, March 24, Reps. Tarah Probst and Arvind Venkat joined other lawmakers and Bellevue Strategies’ client API-PA for a press conference advocating for the passage of House Bill 564. This legislation would create a 988 public education campaign, which would expand access to the mental health crisis response lifeline.
On Wednesday, March 26, Bellevue Public Affairs’ client the Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging (P4A) brought 26 affiliates from around the Commonwealth to meet with state legislators advocating for the Governor’s proposed budget which would support older adult services.
Other Events
On Monday, March 24, lawmakers joined advocates, including Children’s First, for a press conference in support of the Governor’s proposal of $55 million for recruitment and retention initiatives for childcare workers. House Democratic Leaders stated this was top priority for them moving into budget negotiations this year.
On Tuesday, March 25, education advocates, including the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) joined lawmakers to support House Bill 777. This legislation would increase the pay for education support professionals to $22 per hour.
House and Senate Democrats leaders joined Lt. Governor Davis on Tuesday to celebrate the passage of four major healthcare bills in the House.
HB404: Allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance until they turn 26.
HB534: Blocks coverage limits from health insurers on essential medical care.
HB618: Establishes that diabetes, asthma, depression, and high blood pressure cannot be discriminated against by health insurers.
HB755: Requires insurers to cover preventive care services
On Wednesday, March 26, Sen. Camera Barolotta (R) and Sen. Steven Santarsiero (D) held a press conference to introduce legislation known as Bryan’s Law. This bill aims to support families of first responders who die by suicide from work-related trauma.
Committee News
House:
The House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities held a public hearing on Monday, March 24, to discuss the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC). In addition to providing an overview of the PUC’s achievements in 2024, Chairman DeFrank highlighted an increase in rate case filings in 2024. Additionally, the Chairman spoke to efforts to increase transparency at the PUC and further encourage public involvement in the PUC’s processes. Chairman DeFrank fielded questions on Chapter 14 of the Public Utility Code, baseload power generation, and other concerns from the committee members in attendance.
Joint House and Senate:
The Senate Law & Justice Committee and the House Liquor Control Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, March 26, to discuss issues surrounding stop-and-go convenience stores and to make legislative recommendations. Stop-and-go convenience stores are licensed as convenience stores or restaurants but primarily serve liquor, typically in a manner that barely meets licensure requirements, and are generally seen as harmful to their communities. Representatives from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board provided testimony and fielded questions on how to better regulate stop-and-go convenience stores.
Next Week’s Moves
The Senate returns to voting session next week from Monday, March 31 to Wednesday, April 2. The House will return to voting session the week of April 7.
Both chambers do not meet in voting session until the week of May 5.