Newsroom
Senator Saval Joins Community Organizations and Advocates in Call for Permanent Funding for Whole-Home Repairs
READING, ALLENTOWN, PITTSBURGH, and LANCASTER, PA − April 12, 2023 − State Senator Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia), Pennsylvania Stands Up, One Pennsylvania, Make the Road Pennsylvania, POWER Interfaith, Sunrise Pennsylvania, state and local representatives, and...
State, City Lawmakers Push To Outlaw Private Landlord-Tenant Officers In Wake Of Philly Tenant Shooting
A March 29 eviction attempt that left a tenant in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head threw a bright light on the way in which evictions are carried out in Philadelphia. Less than two weeks after the shooting, two Philly-based state senators announced...
Pa.’s landlord-tenant law literally can get you killed | Michael Coard
On March 29, a so-called “landlord-tenant officer” shot 35-year-old Angel Davis in the head and nearly killed her while serving her with eviction papers in Philadelphia at the Girard Court Apartments at 2101 North College Avenue. First of all, what is a...
Philly landlords have reservations about effort to ban private firms from enforcing evictions
A pair of state lawmakers from Philadelphia plan to introduce legislation this month that would bar private firms from enforcing evictions. Some landlords and property managers aren’t thrilled. If passed, the bill would amend state code and apply to jurisdictions...
Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Jamie Gauthier Announce Hearings on Landlord-Tenant Office
PHILADELPHIA – In response to the shooting of 35-year-old Angel Davis by a private contractor who was serving an eviction notice last week, Councilmembers Kendra Brooks (At-Large) and Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) announced a public hearing of the Housing Committee on...
Pa. Democrats propose overhauling Philly’s landlord-tenant officer system
Two Philadelphia-area lawmakers want to ensure that public officers — not private contractors — are responsible for handling court orders in landlord-tenant cases. After a Philadelphia deputy landlord-tenant officer shot a woman in the head last week while trying to...
Philadelphia to receive $21M grant initiative for residential home repairs
Homeowners and small-time landlords in Pennsylvania will potentially have the opportunity this summer to treat pre-existing home repairs and weatherize their property, thanks to a significant contribution financed by the current state budget under bipartisan...
Pa. lawmakers want to ban hired security from doing evictions after shooting of Philly tenant
State lawmakers from Philadelphia are proposing to ban private firms from enforcing evictions after a security contractor shot a 35-year-old woman during an attempted lockout Wednesday. The move comes after a shooting that has brought Philadelphia’s unusual eviction...
A pair of state lawmakers propose changes to eviction oversight following shooting in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As the investigation continues into the shooting in North Philadelphia on Wednesday during an eviction process, two Democratic state lawmakers from Philadelphia are calling for legislation that would mandate public oversight of...
Senators Saval and Street Announce Legislation to Prohibit Use of Private Contractors in Enforcing Evictions
Philadelphia, PA − March 30, 2023 − In response to the shooting of a Philadelphia resident by a private contractor during an attempted eviction, Senators Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia County) and Sharif Street (D–Philadelphia County) today announced...
New Pa. program will send millions to Philly area for home repairs and weatherization
The Philadelphia area will receive nearly $40 million from the state to help residents and landlords repair and weatherize their properties. The new funding comes courtesy of the Whole-Home Repairs Program, the result of bipartisan legislation financed by the current...
Longtime Pittsburgh homeowners hit by rising taxes in gentrifying neighborhoods could get relief
State lawmakers representing Pittsburgh unveiled new legislation Thursday that would let the city offer tax relief to longtime homeowners in neighborhoods where property values have skyrocketed. If the legislation were enacted in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh would be...
Pa. Senate Democrat proposes series of bills to increase housing accessibility
A Pennsylvania senator has announced plans for a series of proposals to increase housing accessibility and make finding affordable housing easier by removing some barriers to renters and low-income homeowners in Pennsylvania. The three bills sponsored by Sen. Nikil...
Costa legislation could keep some homeowners in growing areas from being taxed out of homes
State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa has introduced legislation that he said would protect longtime homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. Costa, D-Forest Hills, said the Longtime Owner-Occupant Tax Exemption Program, or LOOP, would allow first- and...
DEP Offers 10 Point Plan To Improve Permit Reviews; Climate/Energy Work Group Co-Chairs Announced; Work Group Formed To Prevent New Oil & Gas Well Abandonments
On March 22, DEP presented a 10 point plan for improving DEP permit reviews to the Senate Appropriations Committee as part of Acting Secretary Richard Negrin’s presentation on DEP’s FY 2023-24 budget request. The Plan is aimed at concerns many legislators have about...
A guide to the gatekeepers: Here’s who’s running the most powerful committees in Harrisburg
The leaders of state legislative committees have the power to determine whether a bill ultimately makes it to the governor’s desk or languishes in committee until the end of the term. And while rule changes in one chamber will limit the ability of committee chairs to...
Temple grad students overwhelmingly ratify agreement, ending their six-week strike
After the union rejected a proposal last month, an agreement between Temple and its striking graduate students this time was approved by a vast majority of members, officially ending the six-week strike that has disrupted operations at the 33,600-student university....
Temple graduate students ratify new pact, end 6-week strike
Temple University graduate students who are teaching and research assistants have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract, ending their six-week-long walkout. The Temple University Graduate Students Association, which said Monday evening that the vote was 344 to 8 in...
Senator Saval Speaks Against Regressive Preemption Law Prohibiting Municipal Gas Bans
Larry Shifflet, Tony Williams and others talk infrastructure, transportation and the built environment
City & State’s 2023 Rebuilding PA Summit brought together nearly 100 of Pennsylvania’s brightest minds at the Hilton Harrisburg on Tuesday for a full-day event that examined how state and local leaders, businesses and other power players can band together to solve...