Looking back on Philadelphia City Council’s work and accomplishments from June 2016:
Legislative Efforts
Philadelphia City Council’s legislative efforts from June included:
- After months on hearings and public input, City Council members voted on a passed the proposed FY2017 Budget, including the proposed Sugary Beverage Tax. Mayor Jim Kenney signed the budget bills in a ceremony at City Hall a few days later. | Watch video
- City Council’s Women’s Caucus – which consists of all six female members of Council: Cindy Bass (8th District), Jannie Blackwell (3rd District), Blondell Reynolds Brown (At Large), Helen Gym (At Large), Cherelle Parker (9th District) and Maria Quiñones-Sanchez (7th District) – announced a joint package of bills aimed at improving lead safety the city. The first round of bills are designed to monitor drinking water at schools for lead and mandate that day care centers are certified as lead safe before they’re granted a license to operate. | More on this from Newsworks
- Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a resolution calling for Philadelphia City Council’s Special Committee on Student Loan Debt to investigate ways to lessen the burden of student loan debt upon the citizens of Philadelphia. | Read the resolution
- Council President Darrell Clarke (5th District) submitted a resolution, later approved by Council, for the Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation to conduct hearings this summer on the true financial health of the City of Philadelphia. Clarke called for the hearings following concerns raised about the City’s fund balance during the FY2017 Budget process. | Read the resolution
- Following a hearing before Council’s Committee of Labor on the state of retirement savings, Councilwoman Cherelle Parker introduced a resolution calling for the creation of a task force to address retirement security for private-sector workers in the City of Philadelphia. | Watch video of the hearing | Read the resolution
- Councilman Bobby Henon (6th District) introduced several pieces of legislation during the last meeting of Council’s spring term: two bills aimed at modernizing the City’s procurement procedures and a bill to begin the process of creating a city Department of Labor, Employment and Consumer Affairs. Both bills will be referred to the appropriate committees for consideration in the fall term. | More on this from Technical.ly Philly
In the Community
- Council members Maria Quiñones-Sanchez, Derek Green, Helen Gym, David Oh lead a presentation honoring the departing Mexican Consul to Philadelphia Carlos Giralt-Cabreles during the Stated Meeting held June 16, 2016. Giaralt-Cabreles received a tradiitional Mexican send-off in Council Chambers featuring a mariachi band. Consul Giralt-Cabrales is leaving to take a new position as consul general to Guangzhou, China. | Watch video
- On June 28, 2016, Council’s Women’s Caucus joined with the Mayor’s Commission on Woman and other partner organizations to hold a Read-In aimed at raising awareness about sexual violence. At the event, volunteers read the open letter written by the Stanford Rape Survivor which went viral on social media in late May after her attacker received what many considered a light sentence for the assault. | Watch video
More Monthly Reviews
January 2016 | February 2016 | March 2016 | April 2016 | May 2016
