Philadelphia Reform Bills That We Need to Know...
By Claudia Langella
Early June saw a surge of protests around the nation in response to the killing of George Floyd. Since then, white people have started noticing their privilege and are using their voices for those who are silenced everyday in the United States—Black Americans. One of the biggest privileges that almost every American can use to their advantage is the right to vote. Keep your local government in mind, because changes implemented at the local level are more likely to be spread throughout the nation a few years after cities adopt certain laws.
I’ll be spelling out the bills that the City Council of Philadelphia have proposed for the upcoming November election. Registering to vote is one of the most powerful actions one can take—yes, even first time voters! All votes count, so it’s important to know where your vote is going.
Majority Leader Charelle Parker introduced a bill that would require all Philadelphia civil service employees to be residents of the city for at least one year before applying to any appointments. Right now, Philadelphia police officers are given six months to move to the city upon their appointments. Parker said that police officers especially should live in the area that they are serving. “Their salaries are paid by city taxpayers,” she said. “We’ve been hard hit by the pandemic, and their property taxes will help us rebuild what’s been lost economically as well. This reform will build more of a connection with those they are sworn to safeguard.”
A Civilian Oversight Commission for police has been proposed by the city’s Majority Whip Curtis Jones Jr. in order to “replace the existing Police Advisory Commission, and add enforcement and oversight mechanisms as well,” said the City Council of Philadelphia. This new commission would put a checks and balances system in place for police officers. But, for this to be enacted, the city’s charter must be amended. Mayor Jim Kenney pledged his support for this reform.
Council President Darrell L.Clarke and Councilmember Maria D. Quiñones Sánchez proposed the Philadelphia Poverty Action Fund bill that would help over 100,000 Philadelphians out of poverty. This fund would be backed by business owners, philanthropic organizations, academia, nonprofits and the government.
Quiñones Sánchez also introduced the Black stimulus budget proposal. Along with the Philadelphia Poverty Action Fund, $500 million would go towards investing in “neighborhood corridors and affordable housing.”
The New Normal Budget Act allocates $25 million from “a recession reserve and target[s] the funds into the need for affordable housing, health-care disparities among residents of color, a lack of healthy food options in under-served neighborhoods, the need for more living-wage jobs, and 400,000 people living in poverty,” according to the City Council. This is something all Philadelphians have desperately been waiting for since before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the city down in the middle of March.
The City of Brotherly Love prides itself on, well, their pride. It’s time to start stepping up to the plate and voting for the lawmakers who use their positions to show love to the communities that need support the most.
cover image via Philly Voice