Moves on the Board: September 14 - 18, 2026
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CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
Parker Administration
As City Council returns for its fall session, its attention will turn to several issues that remained unresolved during this year’s budget process. While the FY27 budget included significant investments aligned with the Administration’s priorities, several proposed revenue measures and related initiatives were left out of the final agreement. We anticipate that the Administration will revisit these issues in the months ahead.
On Monday, Parker joined officials at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the ribbon-cutting of the Morgan Center for Research and Innovation. This 17-story, 350,000-square-foot facility significantly expands CHOP's laboratory research capacity and is designed to accelerate collaboration between wet and dry lab researchers in advancing pediatric health.
On Tuesday, Parker joined Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts at Northeast High School, where Hurts announced a $600,000 donation from the Jalen Hurts Foundation to upgrade the school's HVAC system — specifically to air-condition the school's auditorium. The air conditioning system is expected to be complete for the 2027-28 school year. Northeast High is one of more than 50 district schools that still lack adequate cooling systems, and the donation marks the foundation's largest to date.
On Wednesday, Parker signed an executive order establishing the Philadelphia Data Center Task Force, a group largely composed of members of her administration, tasked with exploring whether the city should put new regulations on the construction of data centers and to present findings by June 30, 2027. We will continue to monitor the Task Force’s work and track its findings and any potential regulatory changes affecting data center development.
The move comes amid growing pressure from residents and environmental groups who held a rally outside City Hall earlier this week demanding a moratorium on data center construction. Parker has not taken a public position on whether Philadelphia should host hyperscale data centers, but her order signals a deliberate, process-driven approach rather than an outright ban. Last month, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order that effectively placed limits on data center construction statewide and required that projects receive local backing before obtaining a state permit. As of now, Philadelphia's Planning Commission has identified two potential sites — one at 3143 West Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia and another at 2600 Grant Avenue in the Northeast — though officials have said there are no plans to build a data center in Philadelphia at this time.
Philadelphia City Council
Philadelphia City Council returned to legislative session this week for the first session of the fall, marking the beginning of a busy stretch for Council as members return from the summer recess and prepare to take up a range of legislative and policy issues. The return to session brought a full Council chamber, with significant attention focused on the ongoing debate surrounding data center development in Philadelphia. Anti-data center advocates were out in force, filling the chambers and making their opposition to new data center development a prominent issue during Council’s return.
The renewed activity around data centers comes as Council continues to consider questions around the potential impacts of these facilities, including land use, energy demand, infrastructure, and the broader implications of large-scale development in the city. The issue is expected to remain part of the conversation as Council moves through the fall legislative calendar.
Beyond the data center debate, Council also began moving through several other bills and issues during its first fall session. Some of the key introductions from this week’s session are highlighted below:
Ordinances
Bill 260708 (Councilmember Gauthier) To authorize a plan for potential restructuring of the City’s solid waste management and recycling systems.
Bill 260701 (Councilmember Young) Amending the “Business Income and Receipts Taxes” to establish a Philadelphia Youth Employment Program Tax Credit for businesses that employ eligible youth or contribute to qualifying tax-exempt organizations employing such students.
Resolutions
Resolution 260737 (Councilmember Young) To hold hearings on the Academy of Natural Sciences closure.
Next Week’s Moves
Coming Up:
Council will return next week for its regularly scheduled session on Thursday, September 24.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Shapiro Administration
On Monday, Shapiro joined AFSCME Chapter 13's 45th annual Retired Public Employees of Pennsylvania Convention to celebrate the implementation of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), delivering the first cost-of-living adjustment for roughly 60,000 state retirees in more than 20 years, with increases ranging from 15 to 24.5 percent for those who retired before 2001.
On Tuesday, Shapiro joined the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation in Columbia to mark the office's third anniversary and announce that the state's outdoor recreation economy has grown 21 percent under his Administration — adding $1.5 billion in 2024 alone, reaching $20.4 billion, supporting more than 177,000 jobs, and accounting for 2 percent of Pennsylvania's GDP.
On Thursday, Shapiro delivered the keynote address at the AI Horizons 2026 Summit in Pittsburgh, calling on the federal government to establish strict rules for AI development, including independent third-party oversight of frontier models and increased transparency. He pointed to AI companies native to Pennsylvania and framed his Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) Standards as a model for the rest of the country.
Updates from the Governor’s Newsroom
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives convened in Philadelphia last week for a special session at historic Congress Hall to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the Declaration of Independence and the Pennsylvania Constitution. The session featured remarks from Speaker Joanna McClinton, America 250 PA leadership, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who highlighted Pennsylvania’s role in the nation’s founding and the importance of civic engagement and education.
The House considered and adopted House Resolution 589, commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, and House Resolution 590, commemorating the 250th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s Constitution. Members reflected on the evolution of democratic participation and the continued responsibility to expand the principles of liberty and representation. The House adjourned following the special session and is scheduled to reconvene on September 28.
Brandon Dukes was sworn in on September 8 as the new state representative for Pennsylvania’s 12th Legislative District in Butler County after winning a special election on August 18. Dukes, a Cranberry Township resident and former financial industry professional, joins the House Democratic Caucus as its 103rd member.
Legislative Movement:
SB1449 (Senator Tartaglione) An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons. (Glock Switch)
A Glock switch is a small device that can convert a semiautomatic Glock pistol to fully automatic fire, allowing multiple rounds to be fired with a single pull of the trigger. Federal law already classifies these conversion devices as machine guns. SB 1449 would specifically address these devices under Pennsylvania law. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 10.
Next Week’s Moves
Far Out:
The House and Senate will return for a session from September 28 to September 30.