Councilmember Mark Squilla introduced a bill modifying existing legislation pertaining to the use of plastic bags in Philadelphia.
The original legislation, passed in 2019, was intended to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags to supermarkets and other businesses throughout the city so that plastic bag usage could be reduced.
The changes now exempt bags without handles “used inside a retail establishment by a customer to deliver perishable items to the point of sale at that establishment, such as: to package bulk items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, or candy; to contain or wrap meats or fish; to contain unwrapped prepared foods or bakery goods; or to contain or wrap flowers, potted plants, or similar items;” or” a bag used to enclose utensils or condiments for use with prepared foods, sometimes known as a disposable utensil sleeve.”
Landau Amends Record Screening Legislation
Councilmember Rue Landau offered an amendment to her “Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards” legislation, which she introduced to the council last spring.
The changes clarify specific definitions and include the following stipulations regarding “adverse actions” and supervision:
Adverse action shall mean any action that negatively affects an Applicant or Employee’s compensation, terms, or condition of current or future work or is intended to harass an Applicant or Employee in connection with work, including excessive and unreasonable levels of supervision, refusal to hire or promote, blacklisting, interferences with current employment or employment prospects, contacting law enforcement or a government agency to file a report, including reporting suspected or actual immigration status.
Excessive and unreasonable levels of supervision shall mean supervision of an Employee that is different from other similarly situated employees and that is not justified by a reasonable, individualized assessment of the specific risks posed by an Employee’s criminal history or conduct.
Employers are also prohibited from discriminating against a potential employee based on the following:
Completion of a mental health or substance use disorder treatment program;
Completion of a job training program;
Completion of a GED or post-secondary education program;
Service to the community;
Work history in a related field since the time of conviction or incarceration;
Active occupational licensure, commercial driver licensure, or other licensure necessary to perform the job’s specific duties.
Further legislative changes can be found here.
Brooks Calls for Hearing on Reproductive Rights
Councilmember Kendra Brooks introduced “authorizing the Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold a hearing on the Federal attacks and local challenges facing reproductive healthcare in the City of Philadelphia.”
Citing the Trump Administration’s attacks on reproductive healthcare, the resolution reaffirms the Reproductive Freedom Task Force’s efforts to safeguard and protect reproductive rights.
Starting with the 2022 Supreme Court decision, which overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that permitted abortion on the grounds of privacy, abortion rights have come under attack across the country. Some states have outright banned the practice, while others have imposed severe restrictions. However, even citizens in conservative states have opposed such bans and restrictions, with some voting against ballot referendums.
Gauthier Looks to Address Trash Incineration
Councilmember Jaime Gauthier introduced a bill “which prohibits the City of Philadelphia from contracting with companies that incinerate the city’s solid waste or recyclables.”
37% of Philadelphia’s trash is burned in incinerators, of which one-third is sent to the nearby City of Chester. According to the bill, the Chester City incinerator is the largest in the country, burning over 3500 tons of trash and industrial waste per day.
The current waste disposal contract expires at the end of the fiscal year, which allows the city to consider other options.
Titled the “Stop Trashing Our Air Act,” the legislation makes mention of Chester’s Covanta trash incinerator, which is the largest in the United States and the leading cause of air pollution in the region. One in five Philadelphia children suffer from Asthma, which is higher than the national average.
Council Looks to Preserve History
On behalf of Council President Kenyatta Johnson, Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced a resolution “condemning President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to whitewash, suppress, and rewrite American history by removing slavery related content from national parks including an exhibit at Independence National Historical Park honoring the nine individuals enslaved by President George Washington, developed by the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition thereby attempting to erase Black history from the national narrative.”
Trump’s attempts at labeling any historical fact that does not comport with his faulty view of history as “corrosive ideology” have affected such prestigious institutions as the Smithsonian, with Trump criticizing the history museum for focusing on “how bad slavery was.”
The resolution argues against removing accurate historical content “not only dishonors those whose stories are told, but undermines the nation’s ongoing efforts to reckon with its past to foster an inclusive and more just future.”
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