Legislative Updates: A Weekly Roundup of Federal, State, and Local Actions – January 21

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, January 21, 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:

• The Chamber of Commerce is proud to be a member of the Inclusive Growth Coalition (IGC).
• The IGC, which currently includes the Greater Philadelphia, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and LGBTQ (Independence) Chambers of Commerce, as well as OIC and the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council is stepping up advocacy for citywide job and business growth in Philadelphia.
• City Council returned from its Winter Recess on Thursday, January 20, 2022. City Councilmember Bobby Henon resigned from City Council early Thursday morning, before the start of Council’s Stated Meeting. His resignation is effective immediately. Councilmember Henon was convicted on federal corruption and bribery charges on Monday, November 15, 2021. Henon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2021.
• Councilmember Cherelle Parker, on behalf of Council President Clarke, introduced an ordinance. With the release of U.S. Census data on Thursday, August 12, 2021, Philadelphia City Council has six months (or until Saturday, February 12, 2022) to redraw the boundaries for its ten District Council seats.
• In light of the tragic fire in the Fairmount neighborhood that claimed the lives of twelve family members on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, Councilmember Curtis Jones, on behalf of Council President Clarke, introduced an ordinance that would create a tax credit for costs incurred to install fire escape rope ladders.
• Councilmember Allan Domb introduced an ordinance that would require employers to provide notification to employees of the various tax credit and benefit programs available to them including the wage tax refund, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the childcare tax credit.
• Bill 210778-A (University City Townhomes Downzoning and Temporary Demolition Moratorium) was amended by the bill’s sponsor (Councilmember Jamie Gauthier) to revise the affordable housing overlay’s geographic boundaries and to amend the language to reference the affordability requirements of the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Overlay legislation (Bill 210633-A).
• The City of Philadelphia wants to hear from Philadelphians about their priorities and preferences for how the City spends money on services like trash collection, anti-violence, public health, and more. Register online for the virtual town hall on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 6:00 PM, or call 311 to register.
• On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consulting team to lead community engagement around the redevelopment of the Police Administration Building.
• On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia announced that it, along with the nonprofit Why Not Prosper (WNP) and the Center for Carceral Communities (CCC) at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the MacArthur Foundation to further explore eliminating racial and ethnic inequities in Philadelphia’s local justice system.
• On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia today announced a multi-year lease agreement with the Cobbs Creek Foundation to restore and revitalize the Cobbs Creek Golf Course and create a brand-new education and community center on the site of this historic course.
• Upcoming Event
  • [In-Person] Mayoral Luncheon
    • Friday, February 25, 2022 | 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.

• On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the Senate Education Committee okayed legislation to give automatic increases to tax credits that incentivize donations to private schools. The measure, Senate Bill 527, provides automatic spending escalators in the amount of state tax credits available for donations to scholarships to private schools.
• Six state House committee chairs have announced that they are not seeking reelection this year. Including:
  • Rep, Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chair;
  • Rep. Curt Sonney, Education Committee chair;
  • Rep. Mike Peifer, R-Pike, Finance Committee chair;
  • Rep. Dave Millard, R-Columbia, Tourism and Recreational Development Committee chair;
  • Rep. Keith Gillespie, R-York, Game and Fisheries Committee chair;
  • Rep. Dave Hickernell, R-Lancaster, Professional Licensure Committee chair; and
  • Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, Urban Affairs Committee chair.
• Last Friday, January 14, 2022, Gov. Wolf announced that Pennsylvania is set to receive $1.6 billion to fix more than 3,000 bridges across the commonwealth as a result of the federal Infrastructure law.
• The Senate State Government Committee approved House Bill 2146, which includes a proposed redistricting plan for the state’s 17 congressional districts. It is unlikely the map in its current form will be approved by Gov. Wolf who expressed his opposition to the proposed map.
• Upcoming Event
  • [Virtual] A Conversation with the Governor
    • Monday, January 24, 2022 | 2:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

• An attempt by Democrats to pass an election and voting reform package was blocked by Republicans in the Senate this week as expected. A subsequent effort to change procedural rules in the Senate to allow advancement of the reform bills with a simple majority was later rejected with two Democrats, joining all 50 Republicans in opposition to the rule change, which requires 51 votes to pass.
• President Biden also suggested a path forward for his climate and social spending package, the Build Back Better Act, after negotiations grinded to a halt last month following public comments and statements by at least one Democratic Senator in opposition to the bill. The President suggested this week a piecemeal approach to passing the priorities of his Administration reflected in the BBB where there is broader agreement. President Biden conceded this week that two significant components of his Build Back Better agenda – the expanded childcare tax credit and free community college – will likely not advance forward.
• Coincidentally, the impasse over the Democrat’s BBB has opened up bipartisan negotiations for a FY2022 appropriations package. Republican and Democrat leadership have expressed optimism that recently renewed talks will yield an omnibus appropriations package for consideration ahead of the expiration of the current continuing resolution on Friday, February 18, 2022.

Inclusive Growth Advocacy Update

City Council Stated Meeting

City Council returned from its Winter Recess on Thursday, January 20, 2022.

City Councilmember Bobby Henon resigned from City Council early Thursday morning, before the start of Council’s Stated Meeting. His resignation is effective immediately.

Councilmember Henon was convicted on federal corruption and bribery charges on Monday, November 15, 2021. Henon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2021.

Councilmember Cherelle Parker, on behalf of Council President Clarke, introduced an ordinance.

With the release of U.S. Census data on August 12, 2021, Philadelphia City Council has six months (or until Saturday, February 12, 2022) to redraw the boundaries for its ten District Council seats.

According to the Census, the population of Philadelphia is now a little over 1.6 million, meaning there should be roughly 160,000 residents per Council District.

Pursuant to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, City Council is required to hold one public hearing on the redistricting maps, as part of the normal legislative process.

This bill will be considered by the City Council Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 10:00 AM.

In light of the tragic fire in the Fairmount neighborhood that claimed the lives of twelve family members on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, Councilmember Curtis Jones, on behalf of Council President Clarke, introduced an ordinance that would create a tax credit for costs incurred to install fire escape rope ladders.

Councilmember Allan Domb introduced an ordinance that would require employers to provide notification to employees of the various tax credit and benefit programs available to them including the wage tax refund, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the childcare tax credit.

Bill 210778-A (University City Townhomes Downzoning and Temporary Demolition Moratorium) was amended by the bill’s sponsor (Councilmember Jamie Gauthier) to revise the affordable housing overlay’s geographic boundaries and to amend the language to reference the affordability requirements of the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Overlay legislation (Bill 210633-A) that was approved by Council in December 2021. This bill will be on the calendar for final consideration at the next session of Council on Thursday, January 27, 2022. 

Share Your Thoughts on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

The City of Philadelphia wants to hear from Philadelphians about their priorities and preferences for how the City spends money on services like trash collection, anti-violence, public health, and more.

Register online for the virtual town hall on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 6:00 PM, or call 311 to register. Philadelphians can also apply to join a focus group.

Focus groups will be held between Sunday, January 30, 2022 and Thursday, February 10, 2022. Focus group applications will be accepted until Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

As a reminder, Mayor Kenney will present his budget to City Council in early March, and City Council has until Thursday, June 30, 2022 to finalize and approve the FY23 budget.

City of Philadelphia Seeks Consultant for Community Engagement Around Redevelopment of the Police Administration Building 

On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consulting team to lead community engagement around the redevelopment of the Police Administration Building.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission will oversee the RFP and community engagement processes. Commonly known as the Roundhouse, the Police Administration Building at 7^th and Race Streets will become vacant later this year.

The Philadelphia Police Department headquarters is moving to the former 400 North Broad Street in the coming months.

Philadelphia Awarded $500K MacArthur Grant to Study Racial and Ethnic Inequities

On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia announced that it, along with the nonprofit Why Not Prosper (WNP) and the Center for Carceral Communities (CCC) at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the MacArthur Foundation to further explore eliminating racial and ethnic inequities in Philadelphia’s local justice system.

The grant is part of the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), a $300 million national initiative to reduce over-incarceration and address racial and ethnic disparities in local criminal justice systems by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. 

Philadelphia was one of four jurisdictions selected to join the SJC’s Racial Equity Cohort where they will work in partnership with local community partners to focus on racial and ethnic equity in the criminal justice system by centering the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color by authentically engaging their communities.

City of Philadelphia Announces Construction Plan and Lease Agreement for Cobbs Creek Golf Course

On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the City of Philadelphia today announced a multi-year lease agreement with the Cobbs Creek Foundation to restore and revitalize the Cobbs Creek Golf Course and create a brand-new education and community center on the site of this historic course.

The Cobbs Creek Foundation (The Foundation) will invest at least $65 million to restore the historic course and surrounding areas into a high-quality public space for all Philadelphians, with construction scheduled to begin Spring 2022.

When completed, the course will generate sustainable tax revenue for Philadelphia through the creation of more than 150 jobs – including more than 120 jobs to support the golf course and 16 at the community and education center.

Upcoming Event

• [In-Person] Mayoral Luncheon
  • Friday, February 25, 2022 | 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.

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

Senate Committee Passes Education Tax Credit Legislation

On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the Senate Education Committee okayed legislation to give automatic increases to tax credits that incentivize donations to private schools. The measure, Senate Bill 527 provides automatic spending escalators in the amount of state tax credits available for donations to scholarships to private schools. Specifically, the bill would automatically increase the EITC and OSCT caps by 25% each fiscal year, starting in Fiscal Year 2022-23, if at least 90% of the respective available tax credits are claimed in the previous fiscal year. 

Numerous House Republican Committee Chairs are Retiring

Six state House committee chairs have announced that they are not seeking reelection this year.

Including:

• Rep, Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, Environmental Resources and Energy Committee chair;
• Rep. Curt Sonney, Education Committee chair;
• Rep. Mike Peifer, R-Pike, Finance Committee chair;
• Rep. Dave Millard, R-Columbia, Tourism and Recreational Development Committee chair;
• Rep. Keith Gillespie, R-York, Game and Fisheries Committee chair;
• Rep. Dave Hickernell, R-Lancaster, Professional Licensure Committee chair; and
• Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, Urban Affairs Committee chair.

Bridge Projects Announced

Last Friday, January 14, 2022, Gov. Wolf announced that Pennsylvania is set to receive $1.6 billion to fix more than 3,000 bridges across the commonwealth as a result of the federal Infrastructure law.

The program provides $26.5 billion to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over the five years of the law and $825 million for Tribal transportation facilities. Nationwide, the Bridge Funding Program is expected to help repair approximately 15,000 bridges. In addition, the law provides more than $350 billion over five fiscal years for surface transportation programs.

PA Senate Committee Approves Redistricting Map

The Senate State Government Committee approved House Bill 2146, which includes a proposed redistricting plan for the state’s 17 congressional districts. It is unlikely the map in its current form will be approved by Gov. Wolf who expressed his opposition to the proposed map. The Governor presented his own map last weekend. The state Commonwealth Court has set a separate deadline of Sunday, January 30, 2022, for redistricting maps to be in place and announced that if that deadline isn’t met, the court will pick a map. 

Upcoming Event

• [Virtual] A Conversation with the Governor
  • Monday, January 24, 2022 | 2:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

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

Voting and Election Reform Package Fails

An attempt by Democrats to pass an election and voting reform package was blocked by Republicans in the Senate this week as expected.  A subsequent effort to change procedural rules in the Senate to allow advancement of the reform bills with a simple majority was later rejected with two Democrats, joining all 50 Republicans in opposition to the rule change, which requires 51 votes to pass. Although the two Democrats supported the election and voting reforms, they were opposed to material changes in the Senate filibuster rules without bipartisan support.

In his press conference this week, President Biden signaled the possibility that Congress will attempt to advance a narrower set of reforms that would address the Electoral Count Act and how Congress certifies elections. This was the key election procedure that was at the center of the January 6th Capitol Building breach more than one year ago.  A bipartisan group of Senators have been negotiating on the subject for several weeks and have expressed optimism and agreement in several areas.

Build Back Better Act

President Biden also suggested a path forward for his climate and social spending package, the Build Back Better Act, after negotiations grinded to a halt last month following public comments and statements by at least one Democratic Senator in opposition to the bill.  In the face of unified Republican opposition, Democrats need every member of their party in the current 50-50 Senate to pass the BBB through the budget reconciliation process.  The President suggested this week a piecemeal approach to passing the priorities of his Administration reflected in the BBB where there is broader agreement.  However, Democrats face steep challenges to that approach.  They would need to reach bipartisan consensus for their piecemeal bills since they would need be advanced through regular order and outside of the reconciliation process.  President Biden conceded this week that two significant components of his Build Back Better agenda – the expanded childcare tax credit and free community college – will likely not advance forward.

FY2022 Appropriations

Coincidentally, the impasse over the Democrat’s BBB has opened up bipartisan negotiations for a FY2022 appropriations package.  Republican and Democrat leadership have expressed optimism that recently renewed talks will yield an omnibus appropriations package for consideration ahead of the expiration of the current continuing resolution on Friday, February 18, 2022.  Appropriations leaders need to agree on top line spending for the annual appropriations bills and then set the allocations for defense and non-defense spending programs. A bipartisan group of Senators may also attempt to attach an additional tranche of relief and assistance dollars, which could include a $40 billion replenishment to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

If Democrats attempt to renew intra-party negotiations to the BBB over the next several weeks, Republicans have warned that it could disrupt bipartisanship negotiations on the FY2022 spending package. If the delicate nature of these bipartisan spending package negotiations breaks down, Republicans will call for a nearly yearlong continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown after Friday, February 18, 2022.

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

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: 

• Anselm Sauter, Federal Affairs – asauter@chamberphl.com 
• Liz Ferry, State Affairs – lferry@chamberphl.com 
• William Carter, Local Affairs – wcarter@chamberphl.com 

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: