Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Via Microsoft Teams Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, October 29, 2020 10:27 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
Thank you. Good morning. We're going to get started now. I understand that state law currently requires that the following announcement be made at the beginning of every remote Council session: Due to the current public health emergency, City Council is currently meeting remotely. We are using Microsoft Teams to make this remote meeting possible. Instructions for how the public may view the meeting and offer public comment are included in the Stated Meeting notice that was published in the Daily News, Inquirer, and Legal Intelligencer prior to the meeting, and can also be found on PHLCouncil.com. I now note that the hour has come. The Clerk will please call the roll to take attendance, and members that are in attendance will please indicate by saying present and a word or two to make sure that your photo is displayed. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Decker, please call the roll.
Good morning, Mr. President and colleagues. Good morning.
Good morning, Council President and colleagues and the public.
Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. And good morning, Philadelphia.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Looking forward for another session of Council today.
Good morning, Council President, and good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, Council President. My heart and prayers goes out to the family of Walter Wallace, Jr.
Good morning, Mr. President. Good morning, colleagues. Good morning, City. Offering a prayer for our city.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
Good Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, Council President. Good morning, colleagues.
Good morning, everyone. We're going to get started. We have established our quorum. So despite the great need, there will be no invocation today. We will, however, observe a very brief moment of silent prayer for our city, its leaders, and our citizens and the Wallace family and the community of which that tragic event happened. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 now observe a brief moment of silence, please. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you all very much. Thank you. I appreciate it. Our next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 22nd, 2020, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 stand approved. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.) Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
The ayes have it, and our Journal is approved. And our next order of business is requests for leave of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the members of Council, there are no requests for leaves of absence today.
The Chair thanks the gentle lady. And our next order of business is communications, and Mr. Decker, will you please read the messages from the Mayor and any other communications that you may have in your possession.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am pleased to advise you that on October 26, 2020, I signed the Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 following bills which were passed by Council at its session on October 15, 2020: Bill Nos. 200349, 200374, and 200424.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. Our next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions. And by way of a reminder, we are asking that all resolutions, including privileged resolutions, be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for the next session of Council, unless they are being referred to committee. In our current remote environment, this procedure will provide an appropriate opportunity for public comment. I want to thank you very much in advance for your cooperation. Mr. Decker, can you please read the title of the legislation that is being offered today by the members.
Councilwoman Parker offers four bills and one Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 resolution. On behalf of Council President Clarke, Councilwoman Parker offers an ordinance 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 providing for the creation, appointment, powers and duties of an independent Economic Opportunity Plan Oversight Board, and providing for annual appropriations to the Board. And on her own behalf, Councilwoman Parker offers an ordinance amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by amending Chapter 17-100, entitled "Procurement Contracts," to add disclosure requirements related to prior contracting experience and the demographic characteristics of employees and board members of contractors and subcontractors for City contracts for Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 competitively bid goods; and An ordinance amending Chapter 17-100, entitled "Procurement Contracts," by adding requirements related to the provision of information regarding the demographic characteristics of employees of, and the labor force used by, City contractors and subcontractors in the performance of work under certain City contracts for competitively bid services; and An ordinance amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by amending Chapter 17-100, entitled "Procurement Contracts," and Chapter 17-1400, entitled "Non-Competitively Bid Contracts; Financial Assistance," to add disclosure requirements related to prior contracting experience and the demographic characteristics of employees, other sources of labor, and board members of contractors and subcontractors for City contracts for public works. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
Councilwoman Parker also offers one resolution on behalf of Council President Clarke, entitled a "Resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation, appointment, powers and duties of an independent Economic Opportunity Plan Oversight Board, and to provide for annual appropriations for the Board."
Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson offers one bill, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 9-212 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Newsstands,' by expanding the allowable items newsstands can sell and offer."
Councilman Jones offers one bill and two resolutions, Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 entitled "An ordinance amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Wissahickon Avenue, Hunting Park Avenue, Fox Street, and Roberts Avenue."
And two resolutions, entitled a "Resolution recognizing and honoring Philadelphia native Kristen Welker for her outstanding, poised, and professional performance as moderator of the second and final 2020 Presidential Debate."
Councilman, you wanted to be recognized after both resolutions, Councilman Jones?
Go Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 ahead, Mr. Decker.
And a resolution calling on the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services to increase reliance on trained behavioral health providers when responding to 911 calls in order to properly identify when individuals are experiencing mental or emotional distress.
Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to for the record state that, Councilwoman Bass, they say -- I don't know about great minds, but minds that are heavy with what's going on in our city think alike, and we reached out, she reached out to us, and we decided that our mutual committees, the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Health and Human Services, to take a look at from Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 training to 911 calls to police actions on the street, taking a look at how to deal with mental health issues on our streets. Police officers aren't always trained to know the signs of mental health. I remember many members of Council have worked with Behavioral Health to look at, for our own purposes dealing with constituent services, how to recognize signs when people are experiencing distress. So what we want to do is take a look at all of the steps, from training to the 911 calls to boots on the ground on the street, on how we can encourage graduated understanding of mental health crisis and then interaction with suspects who are presumed innocent until proven guilty and not sentenced at the point of arrest. So I'm looking forward to working with the two committees and thankful for Councilmember Bass's Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 interest in this. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The first resolution will be on next week's Calendar. The just-referenced resolution will be on today's Calendar. Mr. Decker, we are asking for a hearing on that, right?
Actually, it's not calling for a hearing, Mr. President. That resolution is calling on the Philadelphia Police Department to do some things. So it's a demand in calling --
Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Okay. I saw your face.
Okay. I know. I talked to you earlier. Okay. Thank you. That will be on next week's Calendar.
Councilman Johnson offers six bills, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 10-2000 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Use of Three-Dimensional Printer to Manufacture Firearms,' to change the Chapter title, to add definitions, to add additional prohibitions on use of three-dimensional printers, to impose prohibitions relating to the transfer, use, or conversion of unfinished firearms and certain equipment, the manufacture of firearms, and to prescribe additional penalties for violations of this Chapter"; and An ordinance amending Chapter 14-500 of the Philadelphia Zoning Code, entitled "Overlay Zoning Districts," by Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 creating a new subsection, entitled "Multi-Modal Logistics Center Overlay District"; and An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on portions of City Plan Nos. 32-S, 33-S, 40-S, 47-S, 48-S, and 53-S by placing on the City Plan Frances Harper Drive from Passyunk Avenue to Penrose Avenue, Pollock Street from South 26th Street to Frances Harper Drive, Schuylkill Avenue from Passyunk Avenue extending northwesterly and northeasterly to a cul-de-sac, and Forten Way from Vare Avenue extending southwesterly to a cul-de-sac; and An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 32-S, 33-S, 40-S, 46-S, 47-S, and 53-S by relocating the existing curblines and houselines along the southern side of West Passyunk Avenue at its intersection with South 28th Street and Passyunk Avenue Service Road (also known as Frontage Road), along both sides Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 of Passyunk Avenue Service Road (also known as Frontage Road) at its intersections with Frances Harper Drive, along the western side of 26th Street and center median of South 26th Street at its intersections with Pollock Street and Penrose Avenue; and An ordinance authorizing the paving of Frances Harper Drive from Passyunk Avenue to Penrose Avenue, Pollock Street from South 26th Street to Frances Harper Drive, Schuylkill Avenue from Passyunk Avenue extending northwesterly and northeasterly to a cul-de-sac, and Forten Way from Vare Avenue extending southwesterly to a cul-de-sac; and An ordinance authorizing the striking from City Plan Nos. 40-S, 47-S, and 48-S and abandonment of a certain right-of-way reserved for drainage purposes, located along the former Hartranft Street, west of 26th Street, and extending westwardly therefrom to the Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Schuylkill River, all under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you. Councilman Johnson, did you want to be recognized?
Yeah. Thank you, Council President. I just want to acknowledge Councilman Jones, Henon, Green, Domb, Squilla, Gilmore Richardson, Gym, and Thomas for supporting legislation that I introduced to regulate which we call ghost guns. Most of you may or may not know that we have seen an increase around the issue of illegal gun trafficking as relates to ghost guns. And ghost guns are pretty much a process where an individual can buy a gun kit and put a gun together by buying various parts, and you can buy those parts from different stores and put a gun together, but the issue is, there are no serial numbers attached to that gun. Therefore, they aren't federally Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 regulated. So I've been working on this for about a year, but I'm kind of held up so our Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, can engage in a lawsuit around this issue and making sure that, again, we're not infringing on anyone's rights, but at the end of the day, if you talk to our District Attorney, Larry Krasner, if you talk to our Police Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, we have seen an increase of ghost guns being used in the current murders and shootings that we are seeing. These guns look like toys at the end of the day, and we want to do all the things that we can possible to make sure that we're keeping guns out of the hands of those who are taking the lives from our young people. And so I just want to go on the record and just note and thank everyone for their support and look forward to addressing this issue in our hearing in the near future. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Thank you very much, Council President.
Thank you, Councilman. Those bills will be referred to the appropriate committee.
Councilman Green offers two bills and one resolution, entitled "An ordinance constituting the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Ordinance to the Restated General Water and Wastewater Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1989, as supplemented; authorizing the Bond Committee to issue and sell one or more series or subseries of tax-exempt or taxable water and wastewater revenue bonds and revenue refunding bonds."
And an ordinance constituting the Twenty-Fourth Supplemental Ordinance to the Restated General Water and Wastewater Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1989, as supplemented; Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 authorizing the Bond Committee to issue and sell one or more series or subseries of tax-exempt or taxable water and wastewater revenue bonds and revenue refunding bonds.
And a resolution recognizing College Possible Philadelphia and its first cohort of college graduates.
Councilwoman Gauthier offers two bills and one resolution, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Zoning and Planning,' by amending certain provisions of Chapter 14-500, entitled 'Overlay Zoning Districts,' by creating the '/HVO, Haverford Village Overlay District'; and amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Wallace Street, 36th Street, Mount Vernon Street, and 37th Street."
And an ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending certain provisions of Chapter 14-500, entitled "Overlay Zoning Districts," by creating the "/TSO, 30th Street Overlay District"; by revising certain provisions of Chapter 14-702, entitled "Floor Area, Height, and Housing Unit Density Bonuses"; and amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Chestnut Street, 30th Street, Walnut Street, and 31st Lower Level Street.
Referred to committee. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
And a resolution formally apologizing on behalf of the Council and the City of Philadelphia for the decisions and events preceding and leading to the devastation that occurred on May 13, 1985, and establishing an annual day of observation, reflection and recommitment on May 13th, in the spirit of moving forward, reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all people of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you. That will be on next week's Calendar.
Councilman Thomas offers one bill and one resolution, entitled "An ordinance amending Title 12 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Traffic Code,' including Section 12-102 ('Definitions'), Section 12-201 ('Duties of the Police Department'), Section 12-203 ('Emergency and Trial Regulations') and Section 12-1401 ('Traffic Violation Notices; Parking Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Violation Notices') to establish policies regarding the noticing requirements by the Police Department for certain Commonwealth Vehicle Code violations."
Thank you, Council President. I first want to, like so many other folks on this body, acknowledge what happened earlier this week and communicate my thoughts and prayers to the Wallace family as well as that community who had to endure that unfortunate situation. Outside of that, I just want folks to know that this is a bill that we have been working on for months now. Thank you to my colleagues who took time over the last, I'll say, over last ten days to two weeks to listen to this bill, to listen to what it is that we're trying to do. I also want to communicate this is a bill that is not anti-anybody. I'm Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 born and raised in the City of Philadelphia. I come from a family of service. My brother right now is in the military, served ten years-plus as a sergeant. My sister is a veteran. My uncle, Aaron Thomas, is one of the Edison 64, and I have another uncle who also served in the military as well too. So my family comes from a space of service, and when we introduce a bill like this, what we're forcing everyone to do is just have a tough conversation on what it is that we need to do as it relates to how our communities are policed. Right now based on data that we have around the bill, 90 percent -around 90 percent of traffic violations are for trivial matters and have nothing to do with public safety. We are spending a lot of man hours as it relates to policing in the City of Philadelphia on traffic. Now, I'm the Chair of Streets and Services as well, so I know that we Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 have some congestion issues. We have issues with hit-and-runs. But by no means am I saying that we will not monitor traffic and assure traffic violations are handled in an effective way, but what we are saying is this: We have to rethink, reconsider, and continue to brainstorm the relationships between police and neighborhoods. We want to put ourself in a position where we're keeping everyone safe, and we want to put police in a position that they can focus on issues related to crime. We have a lot of problems in our municipality, and as a member of Council at-large, I try my best to address the issues that I have the capacity to do so. And so I am very proud to introduce the bill, but I'm also very open to dialogue and conversation around what these simple minor traffic stops look like and, most importantly, the implementation of the bill as it relates to how the violations will be Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 communicated and served to the citizens of Philadelphia. Thank you, Council President. I appreciate you.
Thank you, Councilman. That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
Councilman Thomas offers a resolution honoring and congratulating the Northeast High School Field Hockey team, on their successful 2019 season and conference 10 to 0 record in the Philadelphia Public League.
Thank you. That will be on next week's Calendar.
Councilman O'Neill offers one bill, entitled "An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Byberry Road, Woodhaven Road, the Poquessing Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Creek, and adjacent land south of Franklin Mills Circle."
Councilwoman Bass offers one resolution authorizing the Committee on Public Health and Human Services and the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings examining the intersection of mental health, disability, and police encounters; and to develop strategies and best practices for non-lethal de-escalation, crisis intervention, and restraint of individuals experiencing mental or emotional distress.
The Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I do want to also take a moment here and acknowledge my colleague Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. and thank him for being so open to work together on this issue, and also Councilman Kenyatta Johnson as a co-sponsor as well. And I just wanted to state as we are all aware at this point, the tragic death of Walter Wallace, Jr. on Monday night shouldn't have happened. Walter was experiencing a mental health emergency, and his family requested help for that emergency. Walter deserved help and should be here with us today, because I think one thing that we can all agree on and we all recognize now is that this was very preventable. While the Police Department may already have crisis intervention training and protocols for handling behavioral health crises, police officers are not crisis intervention specialists. They Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 are not social workers or medics. Police are often the first to respond to mental health crises, and they shouldn't be. This resolution calls for hearings that examine the intersection of mental health, disability, and police encounters, because they are interconnected. Statistics say that between one-quarter and one-half of all people having a lethal outcome when dealing with the police were experiencing a mental health crisis. This is a call to develop strategies for crisis intervention and non-lethal de-escalation. The City must do more to develop alternative responses to mental health and disability emergencies that do not involve interactions with the police. And I just wanted to really once again thank all of my colleagues. I know that we've all expressed our profound sorrow for this loss to the family, but as we move forward, now the Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 question becomes how do we make sure that this thing, which was preventable, never ever, ever happens again. So thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, colleagues.
Thank you, Council Lady. That concludes our introduction of bills and resolutions.
Sorry, Council President. Can I be recognized one more time, please?
Absolutely. The Chair recognizes Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to for the record thank the co-sponsors of the bill, Councilmember Jones, Gilmore Richardson, Quinones-Sanchez, Brooks, Johnson, Gauthier, Gym, Parker, and also communicate that Councilman Henon was an error as a co-sponsor for the bill. I just wanted to communicate that for the Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 you, Council President.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Our next order of business is reports from committees, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker for a report from the Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee of the Whole reports two bills with a favorable recommendation.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee of the Whole, to which was referred Bill No. 200369, entitled "An ordinance authorizing City Officials to file Articles of Incorporation to establish a Non-Profit Corporation that shall be called The Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 for the purpose of reducing poverty in Philadelphia"; and Bill No. 200419, entitled "An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 from the General Fund, the Council to the General Fund, the Director of Finance," respectfully reports it has considered the same and returns the attached bills to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill Nos. 200369 and 200419. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bills No. 200369 and 200419. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and these bills will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. That concludes our reports from committee, and our next order of business is the consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committee with a suspension of the rules have been deemed to have had a first reading. These bills will be placed on our Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 there are no additional bills on our First Reading Calendar, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker for a motion concerning the bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars.
Thank you, Mr. President. In addition to the bills being considered on the Consent Agenda, the following resolutions and bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today. They are Nos. 200579, 200580, 200581, 200582, 200583, 200584, and 200585. All other bills and resolutions are being held.
Thank you. It's been moved and seconded that the -
Could we return to the motion on the bills that are being Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 for the Consent Agenda? We didn't complete that motion.
If Councilwoman Parker could go back to the page preceding that page that we were on, that we were just on, the motion for the Consent Agenda bills.
Decker, will I have to -- can I just repeat it now? Mr. President, can you hear me now?
Yes. Yes, Councilwoman. The Council President recognized you for a motion on the bills on the Second Reading Calendar. So you can just start from the -
Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Decker. Thank you, Mr. President. I Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 that the rules of Council be suspended to permit the use of a Consent Agenda to consider the following bills on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today. They are Nos. 200417, 200159, 200252, 200158, 200163, 200179, 200185, 200186, 200187, 200209, 200210, 200211, 200259, 200373, 200388, 200415, 200422, 200423, 200495, 200496, 200499, 200500, 200517, and 200538. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and seconded that the rules of Council be suspended to permit the use of a Consent Agenda to consider the bills just read by Councilwoman Parker. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
I have an objection to Bill No. 200538. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 2ND READING
Okay. So that consent -- that objection to the use for those particular bills on the Consent Agenda requires that they be removed off the Consent Agenda and moved to the regular agenda, without debate. So, Mr. Decker, can you make that notation?
Thank you. And the Chair now again recognizes Councilwoman Parker for the purpose of calling up the bills and resolutions on the regular Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. In addition to the bills being considered on the Consent Agenda, the following resolutions and bills are being called up from the Second Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Nos. 200579, 200580, 200581, 200582, 200583, 200584, 200585, and 200538 that was just removed from the Consent Agenda. All other bills and resolutions are being held.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Councilwoman. So we will now move to our public comment session, but before we proceed with the consideration of the public comment session, we will take around a ten-minute --
This is Councilmember Gilmore Richardson. I'd like to be recorded as voting aye on all Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 bills and resolutions. I need to be excused for important business.
Absolutely. Thank you, Councilwoman. The record will reflect that.
Thank you. Before we proceed with the public comment, we will now take a brief, say, ten-minute recess to give our technology professionals some time to connect with the speakers we have for today's meeting. We will be back shortly. Thank you. (Short recess.)
Thank you. We're going to get started. Thank you for your patience. Now that everyone is connected to the meeting and before considering the resolutions and bills we have before us today, we will Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 consider the public comment session. It will go as follows: Your public comment must concern matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars for the possible action at a session of Council. A speaker on any of those matters must sign up in order to testify. You must call 215-686-3406 by 5:00 p.m. the day before the session to sign up for public comment. When you call, we will take your name, phone number, the number of the legislative item you are commenting on, and whether you are in support or against the legislation and be added to the list. We will telephone each person on the list during the Council session and invite them to our remote meeting. Under ideal circumstances, we will have three minutes, but today because the time limit will be imposed, we will have two minutes today in our Council session because of the volume of Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 individuals testifying. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the established time limit. Once invited to the meeting and asked to begin your testimony, a timer will be started. We will monitor your remaining time throughout your testimony, and when there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, you will be reminded of this by the simple ring of a bell. Once your allotted time has passed, you will be asked to conclude your remarks. Shortly thereafter you will be muted and disconnected from the remote meeting. I also reserve the right to limit repetitious comment, but today based on our earlier conversation, we've been able to eliminate that. So all individuals on the line will be allowed to testify on a particular issue. One last note. Please be aware that the public meeting is being recorded. Because the meeting is public, Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 participants and viewers have no reasonable expectation of privacy. So by continuing to be in the meeting, you are consenting to being recorded. I will now ask that the Chief Clerk please read the name of our first speaker.
Good morning, Council President Darrell Clarke, Councilwoman Cherelle Parker, and distinguished members of the Committee. My name is Adjoa B. Asamoah, and as a prior two-time graduate of Temple, an alum of Temple University's African American Studies Department, and as the racial equity champion and political strategist who developed the legislative strategy for the CROWN Act movement on behalf of the CROWN Coalition co-founded by Dove, it is my honor to join you again in full support of Bill No. 200252. There is a longstanding history and problematic practice of racial Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 discrimination based on hair in the United States. There have been countless cases where black people have been discriminated against for wearing natural hair and/or protective styles, including, but not limited to, braids, locs, twists, bantu knots, Afros, et cetera. This prevalent form of discrimination includes being fired, passed on by promotions, and even having employment offers rescinded. It impacts the upward mobility of individuals and families, and it has been the reason far too many children have missed school and had negative educational experiences. As I think about the work we've done at the local, state, and federal levels, I think about the dynamic students (inaudible) in Louisiana who was sent home in tears because she wore beautiful braids that were deemed a violation of school rules. I think about DeAndre Arnold in Texas -(Background noise.) Stated Meeting October 29, 2020
I'm sorry. I think about DeAndre Arnold in Texas who was told he could not participate in his high school graduation ceremony with his friends due to his locs, a display of cultural pride. I think about representing the students across the world who I think, along with other people -- was that the bell?
You have 30 seconds, if you can wrap up in 30 seconds.
Okay. The African aesthetic is beautiful and it must be looked at and valued. The issue of narrow beauty standards in America continue to perpetuate unfair scrutiny, injustice, and discrimination in workplaces and schools against black people, and it warrants the legislative fix Councilwoman Parker has proposed and Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 championed. Bill No. 200252 will ensure protection against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protections to hair texture and protective styles. I applaud you, Councilwoman Parker, for championing the CROWN Act, and on behalf of the entire CROWN Coalition, including over 70 civil rights and civic engagement-focused organizations, and my colleagues, Kelly, Orlina, Marcy, Asie, and Melani, we thank you and encourage you all to support this bill. And I'll submit this written testimony.
Thank you, Council President. Good morning, City Councilmembers. My name is Phil Lord and I'm the Executive Director of the Tenant Union Representative Network, which is TURN, and I'm testifying in favor of Bill 200159, which authorizes voluntary representation before the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission. As you may know, TURN sees thousand of tenants each year. Its workshops, individual counseling, (inaudible) programs are all involved, and we have plenty of opportunities to help people with the Fair Housing Commission who are trying to navigate its protection. In that context, we find that it is very helpful to have people who are not attorneys be available to represent people at these hearings. This is a different kind of representation, not the technical legal courtroom representation. It's an administrative hearing. So the persons that we have Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 from our office and other non-lawyer representatives are really down there to make sure the tenant's case is heard, that all the issues are raised, and that the documents are in order. There's no cross-examination by these people or witness representation or other evidence, rules being applied. It's really an informal hearing. It's pretty relaxed and makes sure all the facts get out. The Fair Housing Commission has become more and more important over the past years, thanks to the leadership of Rue Landau and for the many ordinances passed by this City Council. So we feel it's critical that tenants that go before the Commission have the opportunity to be heard well. And there aren't enough lawyers in the City or certainly not enough lawyers to be qualified for landlord-tenant issues to be able to do this. We need non-lawyers to be available and to help people out, and this assistance is normal. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 I want to also comment that it's really important that we don't compound one pandemic with another. We are really concerned about the courts opening up and homelessness becoming more rampant as a result and overcrowding, resulting in increase of deaths from this pandemic. So we hope the Council will take a look at not only this bill, but the bill in the next few weeks that will (inaudible) to make sure people have more protection from this pandemic. Thank you.
Hello. I'm here, Tomea Sippio-Smith. I'm calling regarding specifically Resolution 200580. I'm here to provide testimony today. Is it still up for consideration?
Yes. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 You're here -- before we vote on the bill that you referenced, we have to hear your public comment, so please proceed with your public comment, and you have two minutes.
I'm Tomea Sippio-Smith. I'm the Education Policy Director at PCCY, Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning. I'm here today in support of Resolution 200580. I'm calling on City Council to show its support for House Bill 526, which calls for ending the use of taxpayer funds to pay for cyber charter education when local school districts offer their own full-time cyber charter programs. Supporting this bill is fiscally responsible and a common sense option for Philadelphia. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 By championing this bill sponsored by Republican House Education Chair Curt Sonney, City Council is taking a step back from the biting, ultra polarized rhetoric that currently plagues our political system. Instead by showing its support for this republican bill, the Council is moving toward a bipartisan solution to fix a significant part of Pennsylvania's badly broken charter school law, cyber charters, an overhaul that is nearly 20 years past due. Like 90 percent of the state's districts, the School District of Philadelphia offers an in-house cyber program for students. Unlike the other school districts, Philadelphia spent a whopping $106 million in cyber charter tuition during the 2018-2019 school year, and thanks to a jump in enrollment by more than 1,200 students this year alone, that amount is expected to grow by $15 million. That's an unacceptable jump in a year when school districts across the Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 state are expected to face millions of dollars of increases in mandate shortfalls and in local revenue and significant costs related to COVID. For the amount of money the School District is pouring into cyber charters, one would expect a strong return on investment. However, nothing can be farther from the truth. Cyber charters have never delivered on that expectation. Nearly 19,000 students attending cyber charters are performing worse on state assessments than students attending the School District of Philadelphia. For instance, if you just look at math performance, 83 percent of the students are attending cyber charter schools where the overall performance is worse than that of students in the Philadelphia School District. While abysmal, this is unsurprising considering the CREDO study from Stanford University last year found that Pennsylvania Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 students attending cyber charters have learning gaps equal to 106 less days in reading and 118 fewer days in math compared to their peers in traditional public schools. Philadelphia students deserve better. Again, we're not asking City Council to pass a law. We're calling on Harrisburg to do that. The state will have to implement processes that address the transitional needs of students and ensure the continuity of their education. We are asking City Council to tell Harrisburg that the current cyber charter law and the way that we are funding cybers is not working for students or taxpayers, but enough is enough. Continuing to mandate the District --
-- while the School District of Philadelphia -- I'm sorry.
Hello. My name is Debra Weiner. City Council President Clarke and members of Council, I am here to speak about cyber charter enrollment and Resolution 200580, which would endorse House Bill 526 and end the use of taxpayer funds to pay for cyber charter schools when school districts offer their own full-time cyber school programs. As you know, cyber charter Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 enrollment in the Commonwealth has surged. Estimates are that 62,000 students are enrolled in cyber charters this fall. These charters are authorized not by local school districts but by the Commonwealth, because they serve students from all over Pennsylvania. Philadelphia has enrolled more than 1,220 new cyber charter students as of October 21, an increase that could cost the District around $15 million in addition to the more than $106 million it is already spending on cyber charter tuition. Given the abysmal performance and the fact that more than 90 percent of Pennsylvania school districts offer a cyber program of their own, it is a waste of taxpayer dollars to continue to support this failing system that has horrific academic results. I urge City Council to call on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt House Bill 526 and end the use of Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 taxpayer funds for cyber charter education when local school districts offer their own full-time cyber school programs. The bill would require parents or guardians living in a district that offers a full-time cyber charter education program to pay tuition and fees for their student if they enroll their student in a cyber charter school. Procedures, of course, will need to be developed to address the current cyber charter student tuition payments. Adopting the bill would be a much-needed reform and ease the burden on local school districts and taxpayers. The bill has bipartisan support, as introduced by the republican chair of the House Education Committee, Representative Curt Sonney. Thank you.
Ma'am, can you kind of wrap it up? When the second bell rings, your time is up if Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 you want to -
You're done? Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
Thank you very much and thank you for the opportunity to present testimony on Resolution 200580 today. Thank you, Council President Clarke and Councilmembers. I'm here representing LEARN, the Leaders in Educational Accountability and Reform Network, to support City Council's resolution and support of Curt Sonney's bill. The bill is a win-win situation for parents and for taxpayers. It preserves choice for families, but it Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 also improves accountability and will begin to reduce the excessive costs that school districts are paying for cyber charter education. There's a national debate about whether the cyber charter model works for online education, and there's a national consensus that it really is very problematic. In 2015, four national charter school organizations, worried about the rapid growth and poor performance of the sectors, issued a call for states to strengthen their cyber charter law. Unfortunately, no state did, with the exception of Oklahoma where there was a scandal involving falsified enrollment data in -- falsified enrollment in that state's cyber charter school. Curt Sonney's bill provides a good balance. It ensures that students have options. It reduces costs for the District, and it allows the school districts to improve accountability. Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 More than half of school districts offer cyber charter programs. During the pandemic, they all operated at one-third to one-half the cost of cyber charter schools, and in fact, School District-operated programs are improving. Districts have a capacity to have an interest in the students. They're able to provide them support, and they follow the students. The biggest challenges of cyber charter schools is their exit ramp. We appreciate City Council and thank you very much for -- we hope you'll consider this resolution, which will help to drive the debate in Harrisburg.
Before we start, just for the record, you Stated Meeting October 29, 2020 will hear two bells. The first bell you have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks, and the second bell we're going to ask you to conclude your remarks, for everybody that's on the call. Thank you. Please proceed with your testimony. State your name for the record, sir.