Philadelphia City Council, April 3rd, 2025
Special Honored Guest
The Co-Conveners of the Black Maternal Health Caucus for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, State Representative Gina Curry (D-164th District), State Representative Morgan B. Cephas (D-192nd District), and State Representative La’ Tasha D. Mayes (D-24th District Allegheny County).
Veronda Cradle, Samantha Harclerode, Hardee Road, Nia Arusso and Maryanne Fray, President of Maternity Care Coalition, Vonae Hill of Link Family Services, Members of Oshune Family Center, Yolanda Boykins, Jordan Guy, Selma McNeal, Carl Mendes. Whitney Roberts from the Philly Download, Janae Johns, Once Upon a Preemie, Rhonda McAllister, John McAllister, and Cleo Robinson, A Home from Shauna Foundation, and Jessica from the Board of A Home from Shauna Foundation, and Alexis, Coco Life.Black.
Also in attendance were ten eighth-grade scholars from Mary McCloud Bethune School, the guest of Pastor G. Lamar Stewart, who has been working with the group for the past school year around gun violence prevention, intervention, and keeping them on the right track.
Introduction of Bills and Resolutions
Resolution 350335, introduced by Council President Kenyatta Johnson, Councilmembers Dr. Anthony Phillips, Dr. Nina Ahmad, Kendra Brooks, Mike Driscoll, Jamie Gauthier, Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, Jim Harrity, Rue Landau, Quetcy Lozada, Nicholas O’Rourke, Mark Squilla, Jeffrey J. Young, and Brian J. O’Neill, recognizes the week of April 5-11 as “Week of the Young Child” in Philadelphia in support of the Na- tional Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and commending the work of NAEYC for promoting high-quality educational and developmental services for children under 8 years of age.
Resolution 250336, introduced by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, recognizes April 11-17 as “Black Maternal Health Week” in the City of Philadelphia.
Resolution 250340, introduced by Council President Kenyatta Johnson, honors Inspector Verdell Johnson for his years of service and retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department.
Resolution 250341, introduced by Councilmembers Curtis Jones, Jr., Dr. Anthony Phillips, Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, Jamie Gauthier, Kendra Brooks, Jim Harrity, Nicolas O’Rourke, and Mike Driscoll, hon- ors and recognizes the Elevation Project, a non-profit organization, for its outstanding contributions to reducing recidivism, supporting formerly incarcerated individuals, and creating a pathway to a brighter future.
Resolution 250352, introduced by Councilmember Jim Harrity, authorizes the Special Committee on Kensington to hold hearings on the intersection of homelessness and substance use disorder (SUD) in communities with both unstable housing addictions.
Bills and Resolutions on Final Passage
Resolution 250298, introduced by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, calls on the Trump Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to preserve funding and administrative support for Head Start, prevent program disruptions, and protect access to early childhood education for low-income families. Resolution Adopted.
Resolution 250299, introduced by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, calls on the Trump Administration to reverse the termination of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant awarded to the City of Philadelphia to support efforts to address flooding in Eastwick, a community that has been disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices and hardships. Resolution Adopted.
Resolution 250317, introduced by Councilmember Cindy Bass for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, responding to U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner’s ill-informed understanding of public housing development and call for deregulation by reinforcing the importance of the continued preservation of local control over housing development decisions to ensure development aligns with the needs and desires of our communities and calling on Turner to preserve the Choice Neighborhood Initiatives program which enables PHA to preserve and expand its affordable housing options.
To view the Philadelphia City Council meeting in its entirety, please visit www.phlcouncil.com or www.phila.gov. The next Council session will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 10:00 am in Council Chambers at Philadelphia City Hall.
**********
Thank you for reading this article on scoopusamedia.com. To read additional articles of interest, please subscribe to Scoop USA Media. Print subscriptions are $75.00 and online subscriptions (Print, Digital and Vizion) are $90. (52 weeks/1 year)
