BOSTON—City Deploys Sensors to Combat Rat Infestations -
Boston officials announced the implementation of a new rodent-tracking sensor system throughout the city to provide data on hotspots and measure the effectiveness of...more
8/21/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Data Collection ,
Housing Market ,
HUD ,
Immigration ,
Innovative Technology ,
Mayors ,
Opioid ,
Pest Infestation ,
Property Tax ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Tenants ,
Unions ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles ,
Zoning Laws
PA House Advances Transit Funding Amid Budget Stalemate -
The Pennsylvania House advanced a transit funding proposal as agencies across the state face potential service reductions. Although the bill reflects both Democratic...more
8/13/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Infrastructure ,
New Legislation ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Renewable Energy ,
Rental Property ,
Solar Energy ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
BOSTON—City Joins Data Alliance to Boost Services -
Boston is partnering with the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance to improve resident services using AI and analytics. The City aims to modernize 311 notifications...more
8/7/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
City Councils ,
Economic Development ,
Labor Reform ,
Mayors ,
Municipalities ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Sports Betting ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Policy ,
Zoning Laws
Gov. Shapiro Urges Compromise as Budget Talks Stall -
Governor Josh Shapiro (D) says progress is slow but ongoing in Pennsylvania’s overdue budget negotiations, with mass transit funding and school choice among key sticking...more
8/5/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Alcohol Beverage Control ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Budget Cuts ,
Medicaid ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
SNAP Program ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures
BOSTON—City’s First Office-to-Residential Conversion Project Begins -Construction has officially begun on Boston’s first office-to-residential apartment conversions. This effort is a part of a City pilot program aimed at...more
7/24/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Apartments ,
City Councils ,
Crime Statistics ,
Housing Market ,
Local Elections ,
Minimum Wage ,
Mixed-Use Zoning ,
Office Space ,
Opioid ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State Budgets ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
PHILADELPHIA—Waymo to Begin Testing Driverless Cars This Summer -Waymo is launching manual test drives of its autonomous vehicles in Philadelphia to familiarize its technology with the city. While public rides are not yet...more
7/10/2025
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
Affordable Housing ,
Automotive Industry ,
Driverless Cars ,
Gig Economy ,
Housing Market ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Sales Tax ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
State Funding ,
Unions
Gov. Shapiro Remains Optimistic About Ongoing Budget Negotiations-
Governor Josh Shapiro (D) says a budget deal is expected “very soon” despite Pennsylvania missing its July 1 deadline, as lawmakers continue closed-door...more
7/7/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Biden Administration ,
Eviction ,
Fracking ,
Marijuana ,
Medicaid ,
Pennsylvania ,
PFAS ,
Political Candidates ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Budgets ,
Trump Administration
Legislators to Miss Budget Deadline Again Amid $5.5B Gap, Policy Disputes -For the fourth consecutive year, Pennsylvania lawmakers have missed the June 30 budget deadline as negotiations stall over how to close a projected...more
7/1/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Clean Energy ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Federal Budget ,
Healthcare ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Housing Authorities ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
SCOTUS ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
Medicaid Costs Dominate Budget Talks as Deadline Looms-
Pennsylvania lawmakers are locked in tense budget negotiations as Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) proposed $2.5 billion increase in Medicaid funding faces pushback from...more
6/27/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Child Care ,
Clean Energy ,
Employment Tax ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Labor Shortage ,
Media ,
Medicaid ,
Over-Time ,
Pennsylvania ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
Public Schools ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Reform ,
Teachers
City Invests in Certifying CTE Teachers-
Philadelphia City Council allocated $500,000 to help Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers cover certification costs, addressing a teacher shortage and supporting growing...more
6/26/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Community Development ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Market ,
Mayors ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Teachers ,
Urban Planning & Development
NEW YORK—Waymo Applies for NYC Permit -
Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, plans to begin manually operating vehicles in Manhattan as a first step toward launching autonomous ride-hailing in New York City. The company...more
6/26/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Curfews ,
Driverless Cars ,
Gig Economy ,
Housing Market ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
Property Tax ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
Unions ,
Urban Planning & Development
Mayor Parker, Council President Johnson Reviving 90s-Era Collaboration -Over the first year in their respective positions, Mayor Cherelle Parker and City Council President Kenyatta Johnson have intentionally worked to build a...more
6/19/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Charter Schools ,
City Councils ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Efficiency ,
Housing Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mayors ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Teachers ,
Unions
Gov. Shapiro, Amazon Unveil Historic $20B AI Investment in PA -
On Monday, Governor Josh Shapiro (D) and Amazon announced a $20 billion investment to build AI infrastructure in Pennsylvania, including two major data centers...more
6/13/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Amazon ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Deep Fake ,
Healthcare ,
Investment ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pennsylvania ,
Protests ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Technology Sector
City Council Passes FY26 Budget, HOME Bills-
During their final meeting before summer recess, the City Council passed a staggering 58 bills, including the FY26 Capital and Operating Budgets, business and wage tax cuts, and...more
6/13/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
New Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
BOSTON—City Receives $7.4M for Office-to-Residential Conversions -Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) allocated $7.4 million to support two office-to-residential conversion projects in downtown Boston, part of a broader...more
6/12/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Housing Market ,
Mayors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Reform
Gov. Shapiro Launches “Deliberative Polling” to Foster Bipartisan Dialogue -Governor Josh Shapiro (D) launched a three-day deliberative polling event in Philadelphia aimed at encouraging informed, cross-partisan discussions...more
6/10/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Charter Schools ,
Climate Change ,
Mail-In Ballots ,
Mayors ,
Medicaid ,
Pennsylvania ,
PFAS ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Campaigns ,
Public Schools ,
RGGI ,
School Vouchers ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
On the evening of Thursday, June 5, the Philadelphia City Council granted preliminary approval to several bills related to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $6.8 billion FY26 City Budget with minimal changes to the initial proposal,...more
6/9/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Business Taxes ,
City Councils ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Reform
FY26 Budget Negotiations Entering HOME Stretch -
Thursday marks the final opportunity for the City Council to advance bills—including those tied to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $6.7 billion proposed budget and Housing...more
6/6/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Budgets ,
Charter Schools ,
City Councils ,
Committee Meetings ,
Community Development ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Housing Market ,
Mayors ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Strike ,
Unions
Gov. Shapiro Counters Federal Cuts with $50M Innovation Push -
As the Trump administration slashes federal research funding, Governor Josh Shapiro (D) is proposing a $50 million state investment to boost Pennsylvania’s life...more
5/30/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Education Reform ,
Federal Budget ,
Life Sciences ,
Marijuana ,
Mental Health ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Trump Administration
Mayor Parker Signs POWER Act Into Law -
On Wednesday, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the POWER Act into law, expanding protections for City workers by increasing penalties for employer retaliation, extending sick leave to...more
5/30/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Committee Meetings ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Housing Market ,
Labor Reform ,
Landlords ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Penalties ,
Pennsylvania ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government
BALTIMORE—City Seeks Return of Sports Betting Lawsuit to Local Court -
The City of Baltimore is requesting that its consumer protection lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel be moved back to Baltimore City Circuit Court,...more
5/29/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Algorithms ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Housing Market ,
Investigations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sports Betting ,
State and Local Government ,
Zoning Laws
PA’s 2025 Primary Elections Run Smoothly-
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt called the 2025 primary elections “relatively calm and successful,” with only minor issues reported statewide. Despite the...more
City Council Advances Bill to Hold Developers Accountable for Affordable Housing Promises -
The City Council Rules Committee advanced legislation Wednesday that would require developers to formalize their commitments to...more
PA Public Transit, Facing Funding Challenges, Looks to Harrisburg for Solution -
Governor Josh Shapiro (D) warns of severe cuts to bus and rail services across Pennsylvania due to financial challenges, with debates over...more
BALTIMORE—Bill Introduced to Address Housing Shortage-
On Monday, Mayor Brandon Scott (D) introduced his Housing Options & Opportunity Act, which aims to expand zoning laws for multi-family homes and provide more housing...more