Moves on the Board: December 8 - 12, 2025
Denotes a Bellevue Strategies client.
♟️CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
On Tuesday, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker took her Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) initiative directly to community congregations across Philadelphia, speaking at nine churches in neighborhoods from West Oak Lane and Mantua to Frankford, Torresdale, and North Philadelphia to build public support for the city’s $2 billion housing strategy. In remarks to thousands of congregants, Parker emphasized that the Plan is intended to “leave no working Philadelphian behind,” framing housing as both policy and moral imperative and urging inclusivity in program eligibility.
Philadelphia City Council
Several additional Council committees met this week to advance public health, budget, safety, fiscal oversight, and property matters. The Committee on Public Health and Human Services examined legislation that would add protections for employees who are victims of human trafficking, prohibiting discrimination on that basis. The Committee on Appropriations continued its recessed hearing on a FY25 transfer ordinance involving the General, Water, Water Residual, Grants Revenue, Aviation, and Transportation Funds to realign departmental resources. The Committee on Public Safety reviewed legislation focused on the City’s strategies for protecting victims of abuse and domestic violence. The Committee on Public Property and Public Works reviewed legislation authorizing the acquisition of parcels between Vine Street, Fairmount Avenue, 8th Street, and 12th Street to support future public property needs.
On Wednesday, The Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation held a hearing on an amendment to Mayor Parker’s H.O.M.E. Plan, a major housing and neighborhood investment initiative originally authorized under Bill 250568. The committee reviewed updates to the City’s financing agreement with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, including adjustments to the structure of the multi-series bond issuances that will fund housing production and preservation, affordability programs, contractor training, blight reduction, and related neighborhood improvements.
Members discussed how the revised framework would provide greater flexibility in deploying funds while preserving fiscal oversight and reporting requirements. Following the discussion, the committee voted to adopt the amendment.
City Council met on Thursday for a routine legislative session. Highlights from the session are listed below:
Ordinances
Bill 251098 (Councilmember Gauthier): Providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a Resolution approved by Council proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter relating to the creation of the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson; and authorizing and directing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.
Bill 251097 (Councilmember Phillips): Adds illegal sales of tobacco products to minors and unlicensed tobacco retailing as nuisance behaviors, and requires completion of a Department-approved Tobacco Retailer Education and Compliance Training as a condition of lifting a Cease Operations Order
Resolutions:
Resolution 251108 (Councilmember Gauthier): Proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter providing for the creation of the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson; and providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors of Philadelphia.
Resolution 251103 (Councilmember Phillips): Recognizing and honoring Rich Lazer, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, for strengthening the Authority's operations across the City of Philadelphia.
Resolution 251109 (Councilmember Johnson): Authorizing the Committee of the Whole to hold hearings examining the history and purpose of Philadelphia's Minority-, Women-, and Disabled-Owned Business Enterprises contracting programs, the current federal and judicial landscape affecting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy, and the Parker Administration's revised approach to participation ranges and procurement strategy.
Next Week’s Moves
City Council is recessed until January 22, 2026.
♟️COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) announced the expansion of the Violence Prevention and Crisis Response Initiative in Lancaster County through the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Grant Program. In the FY2025-2026 budget, which was recently signed into law, the investment in the VIP Grant Program increased by 10%, totaling $62 million for gun violence prevention.
This week, Governor Josh Shapiro joined Utah Governor Spencer Cox for a bipartisan discussion on the state of American democracy and the growing issue of political violence. Both Governors spoke out against recent acts of political violence and discussed the appropriate state-level response to these events.
The Pennsylvania Senate confirmed Dr. Carrie Rowe, a bipartisan nominee, as Secretary of Education in the Shapiro Administration. Dr. Rowe recently served as Acting Secretary of the Department and has over 25 years of experience in public education. Governor Shapiro and Secretary Rowe visited a public school in Susquehanna Township together to highlight the administration’s significant investment in education in the FY2025-2026 budget. The budget invests an additional $900 million in funding for pre-k through grade 12. Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has increased education funding by nearly $3 billion.
Lt. Governor Austin Davis was in Philadelphia this week to announce grant recipients for hospital-based violence intervention programs, totaling an investment of nearly $3 million. These programs offer evidence-based solutions to reducing gun violence in Pennsylvania, and this investment builds on the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to make this impact.
Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania Senate was in Harrisburg this week for a voting session on Monday, December 8, and Tuesday, December 9.
Committee News:
Senate
The Senate Education Committee met on Tuesday, December 9th, to consider three bills - SB 116 (Argall), SB 974 (Hutchinson), and SB 1014 (Robinson). SB 116 provides credit for employment at congregate care facilities for students in eleventh and twelfth grade. After amendments were approved that clarified age requirements for participation, the bill was voted out of committee unanimously. SB 974 extends the Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program to community education councils in collaboration with one or more higher education institutions to offer dual credit opportunities to high school students enrolled in a school entity. The bill was voted out of committee unanimously. SB 1014 would require school entities in the Commonwealth to compose and adopt a bell-to-bell phone-free policy. The bill was amended to delay the implementation of such a policy to the 2027-2028 school year. Chairwoman Williams mentioned that feedback on this bill was varied, particularly amongst stakeholders who questioned how students would access Safe-to-Say services without their phones. Senator Comitta also expressed a desire to keep solicitation and consideration of feedback from stakeholders as the bill moves through the General Assembly. The bill was voted out of committee unanimously.
Next Week’s Moves
The House of Representatives will be in Harrisburg for a voting session next week on Tuesday, December 16 and Wednesday, December 17.
♟️ON THE TRAIL
State Races
Pennsylvania Senate District 24
Former Executive Director of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee Chris Thomas has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to Pennsylvania Senate District 24. The district represents parts of Montgomery and Berks Counties, and is currently held by first-term Republican Senator Tracy Pennycuick. If elected, Thomas would be the youngest sitting official in the Pennsylvania Senate.