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 26, 2024.

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

  • SEPTA’s Board is to vote on an $800,000 project that would install gates at three new locations on the concourse between Market and South Broad Streets.  
  • On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Mayor Cherelle Parker joined state elected officials to present funding to the city to improve drinking water and stormwater systems. 
  • Over the last few weeks, The Chamber reported on expected activity around Councilmember Jim Harrity’s Contract Workers Protection legislation this session. Bill 230746 was pocket vetoed by Mayor Kenney after passing in Council the final session of 2023. The Councilmember planned on reintroducing it during yesterday’s Stated Meeting but made the decision to hold the bill and has expressed his intent to reintroduce it soon. The Chamber strongly opposes this bill and we must act swiftly.
  • The Chamber encourages you to contact members of Council to urge their opposition to this mandate. Please use this link to access our one-click campaign.

Join the Chamber on Monday, January 29, 2024, for our in-person YPC Networking Featuring Raheem Manning, Director, Nighttime Economy & Business Development, City of Philadelphia (hosted by our Young Professionals Council), and Wednesday, February 28, 2024, for our in-person Mayoral Luncheon.  

Market your business: sponsor one of the Chamber’s advocacy events. Gain exposure and build promising relationships with top-level business professionals, civic leaders, and elected officials. Learn more about our upcoming local, state, and federal advocacy sponsorship opportunities here or contact Tara Orio, Senior Vice President, Membership and Member Engagement, at torio@chamberphl.com. 

State

  • Governor Josh Shapiro is expected to address basic education funding, minimum wage, and economic development, among many other issue areas, in his budget address on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. 
  • An estimated 210,000 families in Pennsylvania will benefit from the recently expanded state's Childcare Tax Credit. 

Federal

  • The path forward for the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families Act of 2024 remains unclear as the House considers whether and how the bill should be considered, and the Senate seeks to conduct its own committee markups on the current framework.  
  • The Chamber encourages you to contact members of the Greater Philadelphia regional congressional delegation to urge their support for this legislation. Please use this link to access our one-click campaign on this topic. 

DETAILED LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Local: Updates from Philadelphia’s City Hall

City Council Stated Meeting 
The Thursday, January 25, 2024, City Council session was the first legislative session of the new term and the first with Council President Kenyatta Johnson presiding. With the new term, any legislation that was not approved at the end of last year, including bills not signed or vetoed by Mayor Jim Kenney, will need to be reintroduced. 

The next City Council Stated Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 1, 2024.  

Bill and Resolutions Introduced
Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke, on behalf of Councilmember Kendra Brooks, introduced a bill to require licensing for Landlord Tenant Officers who are responsible for performing tenant evictions in response to last year’s shooting of Angel Davis during a lockout order.  

Councilmember Quetcy Lozada introduced a bill that would regulate the hours of operations for certain businesses in the Kensington neighborhood. 

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced a resolution calling for hearings to examine the capacity for careers in the city’s growing life sciences industry, which was previously introduced on Thursday, June 15, 2023. In the last session, the Chamber collaborated with Councilmember Gauthier and remains committed to supporting her efforts. We applaud her for recognizing the importance of expanding workforce development and skills training programs, particularly in the city’s life sciences sector. To hear about one of the Chamber’s recent partnerships in this sector, click here.  

Councilmember Curtis Jones introduced a resolution urging Mayor Cherelle Parker to adopt the recommendations of the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia Summit held in 2023. The 144 recommendations identify specific problems, solutions, and next steps to be considered. The report consists of the following sections: 

  • Education and the School-to-Prison Pipeline 
  • Poverty and Criminal Justice System 
  • Combating the Threat of Illegal Guns and Increasing the Closure Rate of Homicides 
  • Addressing Mental Health 
  • Alternatives to Incarceration 
  • Law Enforcement 
  • Use of Technology to Combat Crime 
  • Collaboration with the Private Sector and Boots on the Ground Credible Messengers 
  • Youth Involvement in the Criminal Justice System 
  • Drill Music and the Music Industry 
  • Combating Specific Types of Crime 
  • Data 
  • Combating Institutional White Racism 
  • Crafting a Positive Public Messaging Campaign 

Councilmember Rue Landau introduced a resolution authorizing hearings on how the city can use place-based data and technology to target resources and environmental improvements on the “57-plus” blocks with the highest rate of gun violence. In 2021, the Inquirer launched the Under Fire project, which aimed to investigate and report on unchecked gun violence. This report identified 57 blocks with the highest rate of gun violence in the city. The areas surrounding these blocks had a poverty rate almost double the city’s average and three times the number of vacant homes, and showed correlation to underprivileged communities relative to gun violence and where intervention and improvement are most needed.  

Over the last few weeks, The Chamber reported on expected activity around Councilmember Jim Harrity’s Contract Workers Protection legislation. Bill 230746 was pocket vetoed by Mayor Kenney after passing in Council the final session of 2023. The Councilmember planned on reintroducing during yesterday’s Stated Meeting but made the decision to hold the bill prior and has expressed his intent to reintroduce it soon. The Chamber strongly opposes this bill, and we must act swiftly. 

Take Action Now: Contact members of Council and urge their opposition to this mandate. Please use this link to access our one-click campaign. 

The Chamber will host a virtual meeting with Councilmember Harrity on Monday, January 29, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM to discuss the impact of this proposed legislation on our business community. To join, please contact Ashley Miscevich, Manager of Local Government Advocacy and Engagement, at amiscevich@chamberphl.com. 

Odds and Ends
The City of Philadelphia’s Department of Revenue released the FY2024 Q1 Wage, Unemployment, and Amusement report. Tax data continues to show the city’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s core industries (Health Sciences, Education, and Professional Services) have exceeded their pre-pandemic performance, while entertainment and tourism-related taxes also show a strong return of in-person and leisure activity. The unemployment rate dropped year-over-year from 3.8% in October 2022 to 3.6% in October of 2023. Use and Occupancy Tax revenue shows soft demand in Center City, offset by robust growth in West Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia. 

A critical highlight from this report is wage collections are up compared to last fiscal year and from pre-pandemic collections in 2019. Total collections are up 7.4% this quarter compared to last year, and up 15.9% and 21.2% from FY2022 and FY21, respectively. This data confirms we can continue reforming our city’s tax structure and experience growth, simultaneously. The Chamber is continuing a year-round advocacy campaign, in partnership with the diverse Chambers of Commerce and the Inclusive Growth Coalition, to further reduce taxes to competitive levels and help grow our city’s economy.

Upcoming Local Advocacy Events
YPC Networking Featuring Raheem Manning, Director Nighttime Economy & Business Development, City of Philadelphia
Monday, January 29, 2024 | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | KPMG LLP  

Mayoral Luncheon
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 | 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Pennsylvania Convention Center
Tables are available for purchase. This activity qualifies for the complimentary table benefit available to Investors at the Keystone level and above. To register using this benefit, please contact investorrelations@chamberphl.com. 

Market your business: sponsor one of the Chamber’s advocacy events. Gain exposure and build promising relationships with top-level business professionals, civic leaders, and elected officials. Learn more about our upcoming local, state, and federal advocacy sponsorship opportunities here or contact Tara Orio, Senior Vice President, Membership and Member Engagement, at torio@chamberphl.com.  

State: Updates from Harrisburg

General Assembly Remains in Recess
The Pennsylvania General Assembly remains in recess until the week of February 5, 2024, when Governor Josh Shapiro is expected to deliver his second budget address. The Governor is expected to address basic education funding, minimum wage, and economic development, among many other issue areas. 

In response, Senate and House Appropriations Committees are scheduled to hold budget hearings between February 20 and March 7, 2024. Following the Governor's budget address, the General Assembly is not expected to return to session until Monday, March 18, 2024. 

Expanded Childcare Tax Credit Benefits Working Families in SEPA
The Governor's office released a fact sheet that estimates 210,000 families in Pennsylvania will benefit from the recently expanded Childcare Tax Credit. According to the fact sheet, this will help more than 87,00 families in southeastern Pennsylvania. 

The recently passed legislation expands the state childcare and dependent tax credit from 30% to 100% of the federal tax credit to address the lack of accessible and affordable childcare in our region. Based on findings from the Chamber's Metropolitan Livability Index, Greater Philadelphia ranks fourth compared to seven peer metro areas in childcare availability. Our Chamber joined the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry and over 50 business organizations across the state to implement the credit as a powerful workforce attraction and retention tool for parents, as a response to the nationwide childcare crisis, and as a benefit to our regional economy. 

Federal: Updates from Washington D.C.

Congress continues to consider next steps for the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families Act of 2024, the framework that marks the best opportunity to date to undo tax policy that stifles innovation, research, and development in our region. Over the last week, the bill has received broad support, including a generally favorable analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation and a 40-3 vote for passage out of the House Ways and Means Committee.  

Despite these responses, the path to passing the bill remains unclear. As of Thursday night, the House has included it in the list of bills to be considered next week. Notably, however, it is listed under its own category, titled “items that may be considered”, leaving room for House leadership to consider the bill pursuant to a rule, under suspension of the rules, or not at all. Some members of House Republican leadership are supportive of fast-tracking the process under suspension of the rules, requiring a 2/3 majority vote to secure passage. Others support regular order, which would allow members to raise amendments for consideration. Under regular order, Republican members are expected to seek amendments to roll back state and local tax deductions and increase requirements tied to the child tax credit.  

In the upper chamber, several senators are eager to hold their own committee markups on the framework. Any amendments made in the Senate would require the bill to be returned to the House for additional consideration, delaying its potential implementation until after the start of tax season.  

Given the significant pro-business provisions within the Tax Relief for American Families Act of 2024, the Chamber encourages you to contact members of the Greater Philadelphia regional congressional delegation to urge their support for this legislation. Please use this link to access our one-click campaign on this topic. If your representative is not listed but you would like to participate in the campaign, please contact Renee Androckitis, Manager, Regional Advocacy, randrockitis@chamberphl.com. 

ChamberPHL Political Action Committee
Help us advance the business community’s agenda by contributing to support state and local candidates in key elections who share our commitment to a healthier business climate.

Support Our PAC

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.