Philadelphia City Council, September 21st

Thursday, September 21st

At Thursday's stated session of Council, members paid respect and tribute to the beloved and late: 

• Joanne A. Epps, Acting President of Temple University; 

• Constance Clayton, the first African American and first woman superintendent of the Philadelphia School District; and 

• David Krain of AFSCME District Council 47. 

All respective and outstanding leaders that had a tremendous impact on the City of Philadelphia. 

Introductions 

Councilmember Phillips introduced legislation to repeal Chapter 10-900 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Criminal Registration." Chapter 10-900, required amongst other things that every person who became a resident of Philadelphia must within five days provide a signed statement that provided the individual's true name, aliases, description of his or her person, each crime convicted, etc. This also included individuals that remained in the city for more than 48 hours, with a 72 hour registration period. The crimes and persons defined in this chapter are: 

• Crimes shall be limited to the following: blackmail; burglary; robbery; arson; murder; kidnapping; extortion; violation of the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act of June 24, 1939 (P.L. 872); unlawful use, sale, or possession of narcotics; violations of the Mann Act of June 25, 1949, C. 645; rape; attempt to commit any of the above offenses; or a conspiracy to commit any of the above offenses. 

• Any person who at any time hereafter or who within five years prior to the effective date of this Chapter, has pleaded guilty, nolo contendere or has been adjudged guilty of any crime as herein defined, under the laws of the United States, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or of any state, and who has been sentenced to any term of imprisonment, parole, probation, or whose sentence has been suspended, except, however, that no person who has received a pardon shall be subject to the provisions hereof, and that with respect to any person who has been incarcerated, the five-year period shall be computed from the date of his release from incarceration.

Councilmember Thomas introduced Resolution 230631, honoring the life and legacy of Constance Clayton, the first African American and first woman superintendent of the Philadelphia School District.

Councilmember Jones introduced Resolution 230635, calling on Representatives of the Administration to join with Members of City Council to better understand how Philly works at night by doing nighttime tours with various City Departments.

Councilmember Gauthier introduced Resolution 230640, authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold a hearing to explore solutions to ongoing challenges facing the 911 Unified Call Center and the Philadelphia Police Department's investigation into the police response to a 911 call about the first victim in the July 2023 mass shooting in Kingsessing.

Councilmember Johnson introduced Resolutions 230636 and 230637 

• Authorizing the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings examining the City's strategy for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in public contracts; 

• Authorizing the Committee on Children and Youth to hold hearings to evaluate existing support services for Early Childhood Education and Pre-K Centers and Providers and to examine the role of high-quality Early Childhood Education and Pre-K opportunities in addressing childhood poverty and promoting the future academic success of children in Philadelphia.

Councilmember Harrity introduced Resolution 230639, authorizing the Committee on Neighborhood Services to hold hearings regarding the business practices of property management companies in the City of Philadelphia.