Authorizing the creation of a "Special Committee on Regulatory Review and Reform," to identify archaic, superfluous, and confusing provisions in The Philadelphia Code and in departmental regulations; and to recommend revisions that streamline, clarify and enhance the City's regulatory environment, for the purpose of accelerating the growth of well-paying jobs in Philadelphia while ensuring the safety and well-being of its residents.

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Code, which in hard copy consists of 2,016 pages, contains most of the legislation enacted by Council that is currently in effect, some of which dates to the Home Rule Charter’s adoption in 1951; and

WHEREAS, In addition to The Philadelphia Code, City departments over the decades have adopted thousands of pages of regulations with which those who live, work, and conduct business in Philadelphia must comply; and

WHEREAS, This vast array of ordinances and regulations consists of well-intentioned provisions that have accumulated across the decades without being comprehensively assessed for their overall impact on those who are subject to, or benefit from, those requirements; and

WHEREAS, When government undertakes to safeguard the health and well-being of its citizens, that responsibility includes establishing an environment in which there is an abundance of opportunity to obtain meaningful employment; and

WHEREAS, Whenever inconsistent, outdated, or simply hard-to-understand ordinances and regulations impede the formation and expansion of businesses in the for-profit and non-profit communities, then government has harmed, not only those who seek to establish their businesses, but those who need the jobs those businesses provide; and

WHEREAS, Small businesses and start-up companies – so critical to the expansion of job opportunities in Philadelphia – are particularly sensitive to the daily burden imposed by outmoded or inefficient requirements; and

WHEREAS, The time has come to take stock of the City’s regulatory environment and to determine what is being done right, what needs to be eliminated, and what needs to be improved; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council hereby authorizes the creation of a “Special Committee on Regulatory Review and Reform”, consisting of those City Council members and members of the community appointed by the Council President.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Special Committee’s charge shall include soliciting feedback, holding public hearings, and conducting research, all aimed at developing recommendations for streamlining, simplifying, and clarifying provisions in The Philadelphia Code and/or departmental regulations that needlessly impede the creation and retention of well-paying jobs in Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Special Committee shall submit a full report to the Council and the Mayor and make its findings and recommendations available to the public.

End