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, September 22, 2023.

Chamber members are invited to join weekly legislative update calls hosted by our Advocacy team to hear the latest legislative matters concerning our community.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Local

  • The Chamber is committed to ensuring our message of citywide business and job growth spreads throughout Philadelphia and the region leading up to the Tuesday, November 7, 2023, General Election. Please visit our 2023 Election Hub to learn more about Philadelphia’s Mayoral and City Council Candidates on the ballot. 
  • Hear from candidates on topics relevant to the regional business community at our virtual City Council At-Large Candidate Forums on Tuesday, October 3, and Thursday, October 5. Each participating candidate will address issues important to the Chamber’s goal of inclusive growth, including job and business growth, workforce development and education, and safety. With only four incumbents on the ballot, the outcome of this particular race is extremely important as it will bring new faces to City Hall, along with new leadership and priorities.

Join the Chamber on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, for our in-person State of Aviation: Developments & Opportunities. 

State

  • The Pennsylvania Senate returned to Harrisburg this week to begin its fall legislative session, advancing legislation that would move the state’s primaries next spring and criminal justice reforms.
  • The Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to session on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, to consider fiscal codes that will authorize $1.1 billion in spending in the current state budget.
  • Governor Josh Shapiro announced automatic voter registration for Pennsylvania residents obtaining driver’s licenses and ID cards.
  • Governor Shapiro signed an executive order to establish responsible standards and a governance framework for generative artificial intelligence.

Join the Chamber on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, for our in-person 223rd Annual Meeting. Tables are available for purchase. For more information, contact Maria Flores, Production Director, at mflores@chamberphl.com.

DETAILED LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Local: Updates from Philadelphia’s City Hall

City Council Stated Meeting
Ten Stated Meetings are remaining in this City Council term. Any legislation not approved by City Council before Thursday, December 14, 2023, will lapse.

Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson was granted leave from the Thursday, September 21, 2023, Council session.

Bills and Resolutions Introduced
Councilmember Curtis Jones introduced a resolution calling on the Administration to join Councilmembers for night tours to better understand what happens in Philadelphia during nighttime hours. Councilmember Jones wants city officials to spend time with various departments (i.e., Police, Fire, DHS, etc.) at night to see how the city shifts and understand the challenges city employees face.

Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson introduced resolutions to hold hearings on the city’s strategy to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in city contracts and to explore Pre-K and early education opportunities available to address childhood poverty in Philadelphia.

The Chamber positions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as critical for business maturation and growth. Our DEI initiative accelerates economic competitiveness, builds a stronger business climate, highlights diverse employee populations, and promotes economic inclusion and growth throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. We applaud the city for continuing to support minority-owned businesses – we will continue to work with City Council, the Mayor, and Administration to expand opportunities and resources for minority-owned businesses in Philadelphia. Learn more about The Chamber’s DEI Initiative here. 

Councilmember Jim Harrity introduced a resolution calling for hearings on the business practices of property management companies.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced a resolution calling for hearings on the challenges at the 911 call center and to investigate the police response to the mass shooting in the Kingsessing neighborhood.

Upcoming City Council Hearings
On Friday, September 29, 2023, the City Council Committee on Public Safety will hold a hearing regarding the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, also known as drones, as an additional law enforcement tool that would enhance public safety in Philadelphia.

Regulation Updates
New regulations must be approved by the Law Department, then filed with the Department of Records and advertised publicly for 30 days before becoming law. Within this period, any member of the public who is affected may request a hearing through the Department of Records.  Some regulations pertain to older legislation and processes that are already in place but not yet formally adopted.

Department of Licenses & Inspections: Regulation Concerning Amendment to Permit Applications
This regulation makes technical changes to the regulation concerning zoning permit amendments.
Filing Date: 8/23/2023

Department of Revenue: Amendment to the Development Impact Tax 
This amendment updates Section 4-2 of the regulation titled “Interest and Penalty Charges” so that such charges shall accrue 30 days after the approval of the final inspection.
Filing Date: 8/23/2023

Odds and Ends
On Thursday, October 26, 2023, Democratic and Republican nominees for the city’s next Mayor, Cherelle Parker (D), and David Oh (R), will have their first debate leading up to the November 7 General Election. Listeners can tune in to KYW Newsradio at 8:00 a.m. on October 26 to hear from the candidates on their plans for the city.

On Friday, September 1, 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro nominated retiring City Council President, Darrell Clarke, to a seat on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). Clarke’s nomination will go to the Pennsylvania Senate for a confirmation vote.

In a WURD radio interview on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, Cherelle Parker stated her intention, if elected, to hire a Police Commissioner with “knowledge of Philadelphia.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, all of the rumored candidates for the Commissioner role are currently serving or have previously served in the Philadelphia Police Department.

Upcoming Local Advocacy Events
City Council At-Large Candidates Forum: Session One
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Virtual

City Council At-Large Candidates Forum: Session Two
Thursday, October 5, 2023 | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Virtual

State of Aviation: Developments & Opportunities
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 | 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | CYTO|PHL

At-Large Candidate Forum Sponsorships are still available – Benefits include logo recognition in pre- and post-event communications, logo and verbal recognition during the program, and two seats for the in-person candidate meet and greet sessions following the virtual program. A full list of benefits is available; please contact Tara Orio, Senior Vice President, Membership and Member Engagement, at torio@chamberphl.com for more information.

State: Updates from Harrisburg

Pennsylvania General Assembly Begins Fall Legislative Session
The Pennsylvania Senate returned to Harrisburg this week to begin its fall legislative session.

  • The Senate approved SB 224, legislation that would move the date of the 2024 spring primary from April 23 to March 19 to make Pennsylvania more influential in the presidential primaries. The proposed primary date would fall on the same day as primaries currently scheduled in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio. SB 224 now goes to the House for consideration alongside HB 1634, legislation that would move the primary date to April 2.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced HB 689, legislation making low-level, non-violent drug felonies with a maximum sentence of 30 months eligible for automated sealing, according to the bill sponsor. It also permits petition-based sealing of a few other non-violent felonies and reduces the waiting period for automated sealing of misdemeanors to seven years. The legislation has already passed in the House.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to session on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.  In the special election for the 21st Legislative District in Allegheny County, Democrats successfully defended the seat vacated by Rep. Sara Innamorato in her campaign for County Executive. Democrat Lindsay Powell won the special election, defeating Republican Erin Connolly Autenreith. The special election outcome restores the Democrats’ one-seat majority in the House.

The House will consider fiscal code bills for approximately $1.1 billion of budget spending that still requires budget implementation language. Last month, the Senate passed HB 1300, which authorizes spending on several programs that have enjoyed bipartisan support in the past. More contentious issues were passed separately through SB 757, which advanced several Republican priorities, including the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program or school voucher program. Both fiscal codes are absent key priorities of Democrats that also require budget implementation language, including the Level Up initiative, the Whole Home Repair program, Criminal Indigent Defense, and Teacher Stipends.

Administration Updates
Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania has implemented automatic voter registration for residents obtaining driver’s licenses and ID cards. Under the new format, prompts on computer screens at PennDOT driver and photo license centers automatically take users to a screen to register for voting. Users would otherwise have to opt out of voter registration.

This week, Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order to establish responsible standards and a governance framework for generative artificial intelligence (AI) use by Commonwealth agencies.  The order also outlines the standard that state employees will use generative AI technologies, engages the innovation and research sector to understand potential impacts and opportunities of generative AI on the Commonwealth’s workforce and digital service delivery, and establishes a Generative AI Governing Board to guide Commonwealth policy, use, and deployment.

The PA Department of Labor and Industry announced that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was unchanged over the month at 3.5% in August. The U.S. unemployment rate was up three-tenths of a percentage point from July to 3.8%. The Commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points below its August 2022 level of 4.3%, and the national rate was unchanged over the year.

Upcoming Chamber Event

223rd Annual Meeting
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 | 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Pennsylvania Convention Center

ChamberPHL Political Action Committee
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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 legislative matters concerning our community.