Your Chamber advocacy team is working to share legislative updates and continue to advocate for your business in Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. We’ve created a round-up of recent activity including Key Takeaways for Your Business and a Detailed Legislative Update. This represents our best knowledge of the situation as of 9:00 a.m. on Friday, June 4, 2021.

Chamber members are invited to join weekly legislative update calls hosted by our Advocacy team to hear the latest on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts at the federal, state, and local level as well as other legislative matters concerning our community.

To learn more about how our region is preparing for recovery, visit our Recharge & Recover PHL Information Hub:

Visit the Recharge & Recover PHL Information Hub

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Local

  • At a City Council hearing this week, activists, the Black Clergy, and the DA’s office all pointed to job creation as a means to stem the unprecedented violence gripping Philadelphia.
  • The Chamber and its allies have been fighting for a budget that invests in job growth: more jobs will change Philadelphia’s future and the opportunities available to residents of every neighborhood.
  • It’s why it is so important to use some portion of the $1.4 billon the city is due to receive in federal stimulus funds to invest in job growth as part of this year’s and next year’s budgets.
  • Easing the cost of doing business, reducing the taxes small and mid-sized businesses pay, revitalizing neighborhood business corridors, and enticing taxpaying suburban workers back into the city are priorities that can be supported in budget decisions being made now and will have a broad impact for years to come.
  • In five years, if Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in the country, with unacceptably high crime rates and underperforming schools, it will have missed the opportunity to rethink how it serves its residents, workers, and job creators – and to make Philadelphia a safer city for everyone.

State

  • PA Senator Wayne Langerholc (R-35), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee introduced the Smart Drive Act, which included a number of provisions to reform and invest in roadways, airports, trains, and transit.
  • PA House Commerce Committee will consider a bill to block companies from getting a second Keystone Opportunity Zone tax break if they move to an eligible building, commonly referred to as zone hopping.
  • Pennsylvania’s May tax revenue collection of $1.6 billion puts the state at $2.9 billion in excess revenue with one month to go before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The state Independent Fiscal Office reported that PA would end its current fiscal year with a $3.16 billion revenue surplus.
  • The Pennsylvania House and Senate will reconvene on Monday, June 7.

Federal

  • The White House released the President’s $6 trillion budget proposal that would see spending climb to $8.2 trillion annually by the end of 2031 to be offset by increases to the corporate tax rate and reforms to taxes on wealthy individuals and households.
  • The President’s budget focuses on modernizing the nation’s infrastructure, reducing income inequality, and expanding health care, education, and other social programs.
  • Congress is currently in legislative recess but the House Appropriations subcommittees are expecting to send FY2022 spending bills to the House floor in the first two weeks of July with the Senate running a few weeks behind the House timeline.
  • Senate Republicans and the White House are still in talks to close the $364 billion gap in their proposed infrastructure spending packages.
  • The two sides are also not in alignment on spending offsets, with the currently proposed revenue generators of corporate tax increases, user fee increases, or reclaiming unspent emergency relief spending having no chance at bipartisan agreement.

DETAILED LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Local: Updates from Philadelphia’s City Hall

Partnership for an Inclusive Recovery Update

Who thinks more jobs will help reduce violence?

Activists, the Black Clergy and the DA’s office. As Philadelphia struggles to stem the plague of unprecedented violence gripping Philadelphia – the city is on track to have the highest number of murders in its history this year – new voices are speaking up to lend their support to one of the most effective anti-violence efforts: increasing employment.

As reported by WHYY, in a City Council hearing this week, anti-violence activist Bilal Qayyum directly tied efforts to increase the number of Black and brown owned businesses to violence reduction. The Rev. Gregory Holston of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and a senior advisor at the District Attorney’s Office, “Holston said people are craving entrepreneurial opportunities. [Rev.Holston] wants to see a different way of addressing those opportunities for people who cannot move on to higher education. Leveraging the federal windfall could help close inequities between racial and socioeconomic groups, he said.”

This gets to the heart of what the Chamber of Commerce and its allies have been fighting for a budget that invests in job growth: more jobs will change Philadelphia’s future and the opportunities available to residents of every neighborhood.

It’s why it is so important to use some portion of the $1.4 billon the city is due to receive in federal stimulus funds to invest in job growth as part of this year’s and next year’s budgets. There are many things that can and should be done to help grow Philadelphia’s employment — from easing the cost of doing business in the city so that is easier for neighborhood entrepreneurs to get started to reducing the taxes small and mid-sized businesses pay to revitalizing neighborhood business corridors to enticing taxpaying suburban workers back into the city–the decisions made in this year’s budget will have a broad impact for years to come.

One thing is certain: in five years, if Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in the country, with unacceptably high crime rates and underperforming schools, it will have missed the opportunity to rethink how it serves its residents, workers, and job creators – and to make Philadelphia a safer city for everyone.

Bills and Resolutions on Final Passage

210215 (Councilmember Green)
Resolution submitting to the electors of the city an amendment to Article VIII, Chapter 5 of The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, entitled “Referenda Approved by the Voters,” by adding a new section providing that the citizens of Philadelphia call upon the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor to pass legislation that will decriminalize, regulate, and tax the use, and sale to adults aged 21 years or older, of cannabis for non-medical purposes.

210396 (Councilmember Parker)
Resolution calling on the Sheriff of the City of Philadelphia to request an order from the President Judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania to temporarily stay all mortgage and tax foreclosure sales.

Bills Introduced

Bill No. 210500: “An Ordinance amending Section 13-101 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled ‘Fixing and Regulating Rates and Charges,’ to extend the prevailing wage provisions of the code that apply in connection with the receipt of charity water rates and make technical changes, all under certain terms and conditions.”

Bill No. 210501: “An Ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to revise provisions related to the manner of selection from eligible lists for vacancies and promotions in the civil service system, as approved by Resolution of the City Council; fixing the date of a special election for such purpose; prescribing the form of ballot question to be voted on; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.”

Bill No. 210503: “An Ordinance amending Chapter 10-300, entitled ‘Minors,’ to revise the evening curfew hours, modify the provisions for enforcement and penalties, and make technical changes, all under certain terms and conditions.”

Bill No. 210505: “An Ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner and the Chief Executive Officer of Philadelphia International Airport on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into an amendment to a concession agreement for the management of the food, beverage, retail and passenger services program at Philadelphia International Airport, and an amendment to the ancillary Additional Services Agreement, all under certain terms and conditions.”

Bill No. 210507: “An Ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for a mandatory annual appropriation for the Housing Trust Fund, as approved by Resolution of the City Council; fixing the date of a special election for such purpose; prescribing the form of ballot question to be voted on; and, authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.”

Bill No. 210509: “An Ordinance amending Title 12 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled ‘Traffic Code,’ by creating a new Chapter 12-3500, entitled ‘Personal Delivery Devices,’ to regulate the operation of Personal Delivery Devices within the City of Philadelphia, in certain circumstances, all under certain terms and conditions.

Bill No. 210510: “An Ordinance amending Chapter 6-200 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled ‘Preventative Medicine,’ by adding a new section offering gift certificates to citizens and property owners of Philadelphia who received vaccinations for COVID-19 in order to incentivize immunizations against the disease; all under certain terms and conditions.’

Bill No. 210511: “An Ordinance amending Chapter 6-200 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled ‘Preventative Medicine,’ by adding a new section offering vouchers for rebates on City gas and water charges to citizens and property owners of Philadelphia who received vaccinations for COVID-19 in order to incentivize immunizations against the disease; all under certain terms and conditions.

Public Hearings

  • The Whole Council Committee – Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at 9:30 A.M.
  • The Joint Finance Committee and Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention – Thursday, June 3, 2021, at 9:30 A.M.
  • Finance Committee – Monday, June 7, 2021, at 9:30 A.M.
  • Transportation and Public Utilities Committee – Monday, June 7, 2021, at 2:00 P.M.
  • Public Health and Human Services Committee – Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 8:30 A.M.
  • The Whole Council Committee will hold a Public Hearing – Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 10:00 A.M.
  • The Law and Government Committee – Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 1:00 P.M.
  • The Licenses and Inspections Committee – Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 9:00 A.M.
  • The Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee – Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 1:00 P.M.
    • Resolution No. 200406
  • The Labor and Civil Service Committee – Thursday, June 10, 2021, at 1:00 P.M.
  • The Rules Committee – Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at 9:30 A.M.
  • The Economic Opportunity Review Committee – Monday, June 21, 2021, at 10:00 A.M.

View the status of pending bills and resolutions »

View upcoming confirmed City Council meeting dates and agendas »

City COVID-19 Update

In response to the lowest number of new cases since late September 2020 and percent positive rates below 3%, the City began lifting all Safer-at-Home restrictions, including density limits, maximum capacity limits, distancing rules, etc. on Wednesday, June 2. The indoor mask mandate and 11 p.m. last call for dining order will continue to be enforced until the Health Department reviews the state of the pandemic and may drop that mandate on Friday, June 11.

The last time the Health Department recorded case counts and percent positivity rates this low was in September 2020, which was the lowest since the start of the pandemic. Similar low rates are being recorded regionally and nationally, which leads the Health Department to believe that the low rates should continue. It was previously announced that the city would lift restrictions on Friday, June 11, but the continued low rates prompted the change in plans.

COVID-19 response briefings will be scheduled on an as-needed basis for members of the media. Briefings will be streamed on the Department of Public Health’s Facebook. Beginning next week, the city will publish COVID-19 press releases only on Monday’s and Thursday’s (excluding holidays). The Health Department will continue to Tweet @PHLPublicHealth daily case counts and vaccination rates. COVID-19 data will continue to be publicly available at phila.gov/covid-19.

COVID-19 Resources:

Upcoming Events

Questions? Contact William Carter (wcarter@chamberphl.com) for more information about local legislative affairs.

State: Updates from Harrisburg

PA Senate Transportation Committee Chair Introduces Comprehensive Legislation

On Wednesday, PA Senator Wayne Langerholc (R-35), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee introduced the Smart Drive Act, which included a number of provisions to reform and invest in roadways, airports, trains, and transit. Elements of the plan included the following:

Reforms:

Study the PA Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) maintenance funding formula (S.R. 53–Baker).

Create a short-term partnership with the Auditor General and the Treasurer to evaluate cost-saving measures at PennDOT.

Provide a roadmap towards testing driverless Highly Automated Vehicles.

Increase fines for traffic safety laws that receive the most violations, such as unregistered vehicles.

Save the PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) $175 million if they followed the same environmental regulations as PennDOT (co-sponsorship memo-Langerholc).

Provide a vehicle registration discount to subject vehicle owners who improved their air quality in the following counties: Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, and Westmoreland.

Reform the Public-Private Transportation Partnership (P3) statute and void the PennDOT Pathways Major Bridges P3 Initiative (S.B. 382-Langerholc).

Require PennDOT to maintain stormwater systems in rural boroughs and towns (S.B. 283-Hutchinson).

Reinstate the registration sticker (S.B. 410-K. Ward).

Create the Clean Transportation Infrastructure Act (S.B. 435-Mensch).

Enhance penalties for offenses in active work zones (S.B. 614–Vogel).

Authorize an e-scooter pilot program in Pittsburgh (co-sponsorship memo-Langerholc and Costa).

Exempt the five newest model year vehicles from the emissions test (co-sponsorship memo-Langerholc).

Streamline the home delivery of agricultural products (co-sponsorship memo-Langerholc).

Investments:

Authorize PennDOT to bond for the Interstate Transportation Improvement Program under the innovative federal Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles (GARVEE) program ($2 billion).

Create a five-year pilot program for electric vehicles to pay a mileage based user fee ($0.03 per mile) or opt-out and pay an annual fee of $400.

Following S.B. 382–Langerholc, encourage the P3 Board to consider only tolling the I-95 Gerard Point Bridge, which is the longest bridge in the State and includes a double-stack roadway ($600 million).

Dedicate a portion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to provide immediate relief for the design and construction of PennDOT’s highways and bridges.

Reduce the transfer from the Motor License Fund to the PA State Police (PSP) while ensuring a reliable, sustainable funding source for the PSP (S.B. 242-Pittman).

Provide uniform standards for “peer-to-peer” vehicle rental platforms (S.B. 548-Stefano).

Multimodal:

Dedicate a portion of ARPA for transit capital improvements to provide immediate relief to PTC.

Update Title 74 (Transportation) with an agreed-to proposal from rural and small urban transit agencies, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC) to better manage transit agencies across the Commonwealth.

Authorize local revenue generating options for SEPTA and PAAC.

Reallocate funding over five years from the Public Transportation Trust Fund to support intercity passenger rail facility upgrades.

Dedicate more funding from the Multimodal Transportation Fund for active transportation.

Establish Airport Land Development Zones (S.B. 562-Scavello and Langerholc).

Deregulate small airport hangar development (co-sponsorship memo-Langerholc).

For additional information visit: https://www.senatorlangerholc.com/drive-smart-act/

State House Commerce Committee to Take Up KOZ Measure

On Wednesday, June 9, the PA House Commerce Committee will consider House Bill 1377 to block companies from getting a second Keystone Opportunity Zone tax break if they move to an eligible building, commonly referred to as zone hopping.

The bill’s sponsor is State Rep. Karen Boback, a Republican from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Mike Zabel, a Democrat from Delaware County, joined Boback in introducing the bill earlier this year. The bill has 33 additional cosponsors from both parties.

The bill allows exceptions if moving from an expired zone “is necessary to meet the expansion or operational needs of the business and the business anticipates a significant financial impact on the zone into which the business is relocating.”

PA Revenue Collection Strong

Pennsylvania’s May tax revenue collection of $1.6 billion puts the state at $2.9 billion in excess revenue with one month to go before the end of the fiscal year June 30. The state Independent Fiscal Office reported that PA would ends its current fiscal year with a $3.16 billion revenue surplus.

The Pennsylvania House and Senate will reconvene on Monday, June 7.

Questions? Contact Liz Ferry (lferry@chamberphl.com) for more information about state legislative affairs.

Federal: Updates from Washington D.C.

President Releases FY2022 Budget Request

Congress is currently in legislative recess. At the end of last week, the White House released the President’s FY2022 budget request, a $6 trillion proposal that highlights the Administration’s spending priorities for consideration by Congress.  Spending would climb to $8.2 trillion annually by the end of 2031 under the President’s budget plan.  The national debt would reach 117% of economic output by the end of 2031, up from 100% this year. The President’s budget underscores the Administration’s belief that the federal government has an inherent responsibility to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, reduce income inequality, and expand health care, education, and other social program. New spending would be offset by increases to the corporate tax rate and reforms to taxes on wealthy individuals and households.

The House Appropriations subcommittees are expected to begin markups on their respective FY2022 spending bills in the last full week of June with the expectation of sending the dozen bills to the House floor in the first two weeks of July. The Senate will operate along the same process but a few weeks behind the House timeline.  As opposed to the House, the Senate will require Republican support to pass its spending bills before the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year, beginning on October 1, 2021.

Infrastructure Talks Continue

Following a Senate Republican $928 billion counter proposal to the President on a possible bipartisan infrastructure spending package, the White House has extended its soft deadline to reach a bipartisan consensus by another week, providing a small window of time for continued negotiations. The Republican proposal provides $257 billion in new spending above baseline levels on a narrow set of transportation-related infrastructure areas.  Even though the White House’s is proposing $1.7 trillion in new spending on a much broader definition of infrastructure, it is proposing $621 billion in spending on transportation infrastructure, leaving the two sides close to $364 billion apart.  However, the two sides seem much further apart on spending offsets.  Corporate tax increases, user fee increases, or reclaiming unspent emergency relief spending have all been proposed revenue generators that have no chance at bipartisan agreement.  Congressional Democrats are eager to pass an infrastructure spending package together with Republicans or without them through budget reconciliation before August recess. 

Questions? Contact Anselm Sauter (asauter@chamberphl.com) for more information about federal legislative affairs.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU, YOUR TEAM, AND YOUR BUSINESS

The constantly changing nature of this public health crisis requires continued engagement with public policy developments. We invite you to reach out to our advocacy team directly with your questions: 

Chamber members are invited to join weekly legislative update calls hosted by our Advocacy team to hear the latest on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts at the federal, state, and local level as well as other legislative matters concerning our community.

To learn more about how our region is preparing for recovery, visit our Recharge & Recover PHL Information Hub:

Visit the Recharge & Recover PHL Information Hub