Moves on the Board: June 8 - 12, 2026
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♟️CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
Mayor Parker traveled to Long Beach, California over the weekend to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, where she led a discussion for the America 250 Task Force. Parker spoke about how cities across the country can engage residents in commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary and honor the 25th anniversary of September 11th.
Monday brought a significant public safety announcement. Parker joined Adam Greer, Chief Public Safety Director, and other city officials to announce the opening of the Kensington Wellness Support Center. Building on a pilot program launched in 2025, the center focuses on diversion — connecting individuals arrested for drug-related infractions with treatment services and support rather than the traditional criminal justice pathway.
On Tuesday, Parker joined city officials for the ribbon-cutting of a new joint public safety hub designed to bring together the Philadelphia Police Department, SEPTA, and Jefferson Health to enhance safety across neighborhoods and transit corridors. She then headed to the Community College of Philadelphia's 60th Anniversary Scholarship Celebration — a fundraising event dubbed “Rhythm and Rise” — honoring six decades of education and community service.
On Wednesday, Parker joined Council President Kenyatta Johnson, Superintendent Tony Watlington, and School Board President Reginald Streater to announce that the city had identified recurring revenue within its five-year financial plan to save the 340 school-based positions that the district had planned to reassign due to the budget shortfall. The city committed $216 million over five years, with $48 million allocated for the upcoming fiscal year as a floor, not a one-time fix. The announcement came after the district warned last week that the $48 million one-time contribution approved in Council's preliminary budget would not be enough to preserve the jobs permanently. Parker noted that if new recurring revenue sources cannot be identified in future years, the administration would need to make cuts to city programs to cover the commitment.
Parker joined city officials to celebrate the completion of a Market Street renovation in Old City, a joint effort with the Office of Transportation Infrastructure and the Streets Department. The project improves safety and accessibility along the corridor ahead of the America 250 celebrations, and advances Vision Zero goals by installing more visible traffic signals and updated road markings.
Philadelphia City Council
On Thursday, June 11, Philadelphia City Council held its final Stated Meeting before the conclusion of the fiscal year, advancing a series of legislative measures and formally approving the City's Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Operating and Capital Budgets. Following months of budget hearings, negotiations, and amendments, Council passed the budget package with broad support, sending it to Mayor Cherelle Parker for her signature. Mayor Parker subsequently signed the legislation, finalizing the City's spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year and marking a significant milestone in the administration's efforts to advance priorities related to housing, public safety, economic opportunity, and neighborhood investment. You can find a high-level budget overview here.
In addition to budget-related legislation, Council considered several resolutions, some of which are listed below.
Resolutions
Resolution 260646 (Councilmember Thomas) Authorizing the education committee to explore the city’s education curriculum.
Resolution 260650 (Councilmember Landau) Authorizing the legislative oversight committee to explore the city’s policy related to crowd control and overly aggressive tactics.
Resolution 260652 (Councilmember Young) Authorizing the committee on transportation to explore youth safety around SEPTA.
Resolution 260658 (Councilmember Ahmad) Honoring Lankenau Environmental Science magnet school, standing in solidarity with other schools facing closure.
Next Week’s Moves
With the FY27 budget now enacted and City Council concluding its legislative calendar for the fiscal year, our regular Philadelphia City Council updates will pause for the summer. Council is expected to return to regular legislative business in the fall, at which time we will resume our coverage of hearings, legislation, and key policy developments. As always, should any significant actions, special sessions, or noteworthy developments arise during the summer recess, we will provide updates as needed.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
Governor Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Davis joined URBN CEO Dick Hayne at the company's Navy Yard headquarters Monday to announce that Urban Outfitters will invest $150 million in Pennsylvania and create more than 1,050 new jobs. At least 450 of those positions will be added at the Navy Yard headquarters, with an additional 600 planned at a new Nuuly fulfillment facility in Falls Township, Bucks County. Existing positions in Lancaster and Indiana counties will also be retained. The announcement coincided with the opening of URBN's new 117,000-square-foot building at the Navy Yard complex, marking the company's 20th anniversary at the site.
On Wednesday, Shapiro traveled to Toronto and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to deepen trade ties and expand collaboration in energy, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and technology. The agreement also commits to increasing electricity transmission between the two jurisdictions' power grids and advancing AI-enabled robotics research. Ontario is Pennsylvania's leading provincial trading partner, and Shapiro framed the MOU as a reaffirmation of that partnership amid strained U.S.-Canada relations under the Trump Administration.
Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Committee News:
House:
On Tuesday, June 9th, the House Human Services Committee held an informational hearing on complex care assistant programs, where parents and home health providers described severe shortages in home nursing services for medically fragile children, forcing family members to assume intensive caregiving responsibilities and often leave the workforce. Testifiers broadly supported legislation that would allow trained family caregivers to be compensated for providing skilled care, arguing that reimbursement rates, workforce shortages, and inadequate training pipelines have made it increasingly difficult to fill authorized nursing hours. Managed care representatives acknowledged the challenges facing families but urged policymakers to establish standardized statewide assessments and oversight measures to ensure program consistency, accountability, and sustainable growth as the number of medically complex children receiving home-based services continues to rise.
On Wednesday, June 10th, the House Health Committee held a hearing on HB 2270, which would create a single state pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) for Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program. The single state PBM would provide greater transparency, acquisition-cost reporting, and standardized reimbursement, resulting in reduced hidden PBM profits and helping stabilize independent pharmacies. State officials from the Department of Human Services opposed the proposal, contending that Pennsylvania has already implemented many PBM reforms, that a single-PBM model could increase Medicaid costs by hundreds of millions of dollars, require federal approval, and create operational and care-coordination challenges. Testimony addressed concerns about pharmacy reimbursement practices and rural pharmacy closures, with stakeholders largely agreeing that greater transparency into pharmacies’ actual acquisition costs is essential, even as they disagreed on whether a single-PBM model is the best solution.
ON THE TRAIL
State Races
On Tuesday, State Rep. George Margetas (R-York) was sworn into office as the representative of the 196th District, filling the seat vacated by former Rep. Seth Grove, who resigned earlier this year to take a position in the private sector. Margetas won the May 19 special election with 56 percent of the vote. He brings over a decade of local government experience to Harrisburg, having served 12 years on the West York School Board and three years as a West Manchester Township Supervisor. Click here to see Rep. Margetas's official page on the Pennsylvania House website.