Related
From the March shutdown until the June recess, council limited itself to the COVID-19 response and the city budget, so council President Darrell Clarke says there’s a backlog of issues waiting for attention.
“On this Thursday, you will see a number of bills that go way beyond that particular box, so I think we will have an extremely active fall session,” he said.
High on Clarke’s agenda is an anti-poverty initiative, violence prevention and police reform.
COVID-19 response measures will still be priorities. Councilmember Helen Gym plans to introduce a measure to extend the eviction moratorium, which expired last month, through the end of this year.
“Restarting an eviction process that would kick thousands of families out of their homes right now does not make any sense. This is about public health and it’s about the public safety of the city,” Gym said.
The bill has the blessing of Gov. Tom Wolf.
Council is also expected to vote on several bills that have been pending since June, including one establishing leave time for public health emergencies and one banning police officers from using certain physical restraints on suspects.