Legislative Updates: A Roundup of State and Local Actions – April 10

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, April 10, 2026.

• City Council is currently in the midst of budget hearings, following Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Budget Address that was delivered on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The Chamber will continue to work with City Council and the Parker Administration to ensure that the final plan strengthens the economic competitiveness and upward economic mobility of the city’s businesses and residents. 

• Council moved forward a significant service agreement with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development that would be designed to support development assistance, as well as both economic and commercial projects. 

• Council also allotted some attention to environmental justice and public health issues, specifically with residents from Chester and Philadelphia pressing for the Stop Trashing Our Air Act.

• The House passed HB 1834, legislation prohibiting utilities from shifting costs to regular ratepayers in response to the increasing energy demands of data centers. Data centers would also be required to contribute to a fund that provides heating assistance to qualified Pennsylvania households. 

• The House approved The Family Care Act (HB 200), legislation requiring employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave. Currently, federal law requires employers to provide unpaid family leave over the same timeframe. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration. 

• The House approved HB 2189, legislation increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029 and sets the minimum wage for tipped employees at 60% of the statewide minimum wage. Pennsylvania’s minimum is currently $7.25 per hour in line with the federal minimum wage, last set in 2009. 

• Representative Stephenie Scialabba (R) resigned her seat serving the 12th legislative district in the state House—a special election will be held Tuesday, August 18, 2026. In the Tuesday, May 19, 2026 primary, Republicans will also defend the seat vacated by Seth Grove in January. 

• Late last week, the Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year 2027 Presidential Budget Request featuring a 10% decrease in non-defense spending to a total of $660 billion, including cuts to key innovation and transportation programs. 

• The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) is set to expire Wednesday, September 30, 2026. House transportation and infrastructure leaders have prioritized completing a reauthorization ahead of the deadline. 

• The Chamber is actively working with regional, state, and national partners to ensure the regional business community’s interests are reflected in: 

• • Upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorizing legislation. 

• • Several congressional and administrative priorities to bolster the innovation economy over the coming months. 

City of Philadelphia Budget Process

City Council is currently in the midst of budget hearings, following Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Budget Address that was delivered on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The Chamber will continue to work with City Council and the Parker Administration, as we develop positions regarding the priorities outlined within the budget, to ensure that the final plan strengthens the economic competitiveness and upward economic mobility of the city’s businesses and residents. 

Agreement with Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development

Council moved forward a significant service agreement with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development that would be designed to support development assistance, as well as both economic and commercial projects.  For employers, developers, and investors, this points to continued use of public-finance tools and zoning flexibility to catalyze corridor revitalization, institutional expansion, and infrastructure upgrades—while also tightening expectations around safety, inspection, and accountability in the wake of a fatal parking-garage collapse. Recognitions of major construction firms and trade organizations highlighted the centrality of the building trades to Philadelphia’s capital pipeline and signaled ongoing receptivity to public-private collaboration on large projects and workforce development. 

Environmental Justice and Public Health

Council also allotted some attention to environmental justice and public health issues, specifically with residents from Chester and Philadelphia pressing for the Stop Trashing Our Air Act, with the session underscoring that environmental performance, health outcomes, and equity are fast becoming core lenses for evaluating future industrial waste and infrastructure arrangements. 

City Council Stated Meeting: Legislation and Bill Update 

The next City Council Stated Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 16. 

Resolution No. 250768 (Gauthier): This is an ordinance amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code entitled, “Contracts and Procurement.” This amendment would prohibit contractors from providing solid waste, recycling, or composting services to the City from incinerating discarded matter, under certain terms and conditions. (STATUS: Held 4/9) 

Resolution No. 250807 (Squilla): Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to acquire, on behalf of the City, fee simple title or a lesser interest, by purchase, dedication, donation, condemnation, agreement in lieu of condemnation or otherwise, for the purpose of making, enlarging, connecting, extending, operating, and maintaining public parks for recreational use, certain parcels of land, generally bounded and located between Vine Street, Fairmount Avenue, 8th Street and 12th Street, together with all improvements thereon and all associated easements and appurtenances; and to lease the property, or a portion thereof, to the Center City District; all under certain terms and conditions. (STATUS: Held 4/9) 

House and Senate Scheduled to Return in April  

The House will be in session during the weeks of April 13 and April 27. The Senate will meet the week of April 20. These chambers will not meet in shared session until May 4-6, which are expected to be the only days both chambers are in session during May. Despite the limited schedule, House and Senate leaders remain confident they will reach a bipartisan budget deal close to the June 30, 2026 deadline.  

Budget Bill Introduced 

House Democrats introduced HB 2400, legislation identical to Governor Josh Shapiro's FY 2026-27 Budget proposal. The introduction provides a formal legislative vehicle that can be considered, amended, and sent between both legislative chambers.  

The governor has proposed a $53.3 billion budget, representing a $2.7 billion (5.4%) increase over current spending. To balance the budget amid modest revenue growth projections, the plan relies on a $4.6 billion withdrawal from the state's nearly $8 billion Rainy Day Fund, supplemented by approximately $2 billion in new revenue, including mandatory combined reporting, legalizing adult-use cannabis, and regulating and taxing skill games. 

Pennsylvania Revenue Tracking Ahead of Estimates 

The Department of Revenue released its March 2026 Collections highlighting that Pennsylvania collected $6.5 billion in General Fund revenue in March, which was $91.9 million, or 1.4 percent, more than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $34.9 billion, which is $473.8 million, or 1.4 percent, above estimate. The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) also released its March 2026 Monthly Revenue Update, showing smaller margins above estimate due to IFO estimates for March being $73 million higher than the administration's official estimate released in November 2025.  

Energy and Data Center Regulation Bill Approved  

The House passed HB 1834, legislation prohibiting utilities from shifting costs to regular ratepayers in response to the increasing energy demands of data centers. Data centers would also be required to contribute to a Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Enhancement Account to help provide heating assistance to qualified Pennsylvania households. The bill creates an account funded by data centers to support new clean energy resources unless the data center is certified as having brought their own clean energy. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration.  

House Sends Mandatory Paid Family Leave Bill to Senate 

The House approved The Family Care Act (HB 200), legislation requiring employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave. Currently, federal law requires employers to provide unpaid family leave over the same timeframe. Benefits would be calculated using a percentage of the statewide average weekly wage for personal or family situations that meet the criteria, including caring for a newborn or an elderly or disabled relative. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration. 

House Passes Minimum Wage Increase 

The House approved HB 2189, legislation increasing Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029 and sets the minimum wage for tipped employees at 60% of the statewide minimum wage. Pennsylvania's minimum is currently $7.25 per hour in line with the federal minimum wage, last set in 2009. The House bill would increase the statewide minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 per hour, effective Jan. 1, 2027, $13 per hour in 2028, and $15 per hour in 2029, followed by annual cost-of-living adjustments.  

The governor's budget proposal estimates that a $15 minimum wage will produce $30.1 million in personal income tax and $23.4 million in sales tax revenue. The bill moves to the Senate for consideration. 

House Balance Shifts Again 

Representative Stephenie Scialabba resigned her seat serving the 12th legislative district in the state House to spend more time with her family. House Speaker Joanna McClinton signed a writ of election this week designating Tuesday, August 18, 2026 as the special election date. The seat is considered safe for Republicans. In the Tuesday, May 19, 2026 primary, Republicans will also defend the seat vacated by Seth Grove in January. 

Trump Administration Released FY2027 Budget Framework  

Late last week, the Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year 2027 Presidential Budget Request featuring a 40% increase in defense spending to a total of $1.5 trillion, paired with a 10% decrease in non-defense spending to a total of $660 billion.  

The framework serves as an informal kickoff to the FY2027 appropriations process. While congressional offices are required to submit requests to appropriators at varying deadlines through the rest of April, the framework now provides several topline funding measures for their reaction, including:  

• A 12.3% decrease ($5 billion) in funding from FY2026 levels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While milder than last year’s proposed $19 billion in NIH cuts, the framework includes a 54% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and over $1 billion in cuts to the Department of Energy’s research function.  

• A 6.2% increase in funding over FY2026 levels for the Department of Transportation (DOT). Most of the increase is directed to highway and aviation programs, while funding for the Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program would be eliminated, and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor would lose $200 million from last year’s levels.  

• A $10.5 billion addition to Workforce Pell for short-term training programs. The proposal also would move all career and technical education programs and funding under the Department of Labor – instead of the Department of Education – to position them as “the lead agency overseeing work to prepare Americans for high-paying skilled jobs and build pipelines of skilled talent for employers in critical industries.”  

While more details on the plan are expected over the coming weeks, the current Fiscal Year 2027 Presidential Budget Request can be found here. 

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act set to expire September 30 

The country’s current surface transportation authorizing legislation—the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA)—is set to expire on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure leaders have prioritized completing a reauthorization ahead of the deadline. Many are now tempering expectations for a full reauthorization package and instead anticipate a one-year IIJA extension to be included in fall appropriations, with the broader conversation revisited under a new Congress in 2027. The Chamber is actively working with regional, state, and national partners to ensure the regional business community’s interests are reflected in these efforts. 

Innovation Economy Centered in Upcoming Priorities  

Despite the cuts to scientific research provided in President Donald Trump’s FY2027 Budget Request, support for the innovation economy remains a focus of several congressional and administrative priorities over the coming months. 

• Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) 2026 Reauthorization. SBIR/STTR programs are currently unfunded after expiring without reauthorization on September 30, 2025. Bill S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, reauthorizes SBIR/STTR programs through FY2031 with key structural changes to drive commercialization and better data collection practices. The bill was formally presented to the president on April 2 and will become law on April 14 if he takes no action to sign or veto it under the constitutionally mandated 10-day rule.  
• National Policy Framework: Artificial Intelligence. Last week, the Trump Administration released a new policy framework seeking a uniform national approach to AI policy that mitigates interstate differences. The framework includes seven priorities: Protecting Children and Empowering Parents; Safeguarding and Strengthening American Communities; Respecting Intellectual Property Rights and Supporting Creators; Preventing Censorship and Protecting Free Speech; Enabling Innovation and Ensuring American AI Dominance; Educating Americans and Developing an AI-Ready Workforce; and Establishing a Federal Policy Framework, Preempting Cumbersome State AI Laws. 
• Genesis Mission Science & Technology Challenges. In November, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order launching the Genesis Mission under the Department of Energy (DOE) to “unite DOE National Labs, industry, academic, and more to harness AI for breakthroughs in energy dominance, discovery science, and national security.” The DOE has since identified 26 initial “national challenges” to accelerate U.S. innovation and leadership. The Chamber is actively working with regional, state, and national partners to ensure the regional business community’s interests are reflected in these efforts.

Join us for A Conversation with the Governor on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, featuring a candid and engaging conversation with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as he discusses a wide range of issues important to the state’s overall competitiveness, including business growth, workforce development, transportation, energy, and quality of life. This insightful session will be facilitated by 6abc Action News Morning Anchor Matt O’Donnell. A networking reception will immediately follow the program portion, offering guests the opportunity to interact with the Governor and several invited members of his Administration.

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 Laura Williams, Manager, Member and Investor Relations, at lwilliams@chamberphl.com for more details.

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.

We invite you to reach out to our advocacy team directly with your questions:

• Shannon Williams, Senior Vice President, Advocacy – swilliams@chamberphl.com
• Renee Androckitis, Federal and State Affairs – randrockitis@chamberphl.com
• Anselm Sauter, State Affairs – asauter@chamberphl.com

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