City Council To Regulate Buses, Dentists

The Inquirer’s Heard in the Hall blog reports on the lame duck City Council session that begins today. Any bills not passed during the three-week session will have to be introduced when the new council is sworn in next year, which is pretty much the same group of people anyway.

Still, it’s a pain to get legislation introduced or something, so City Council is rushing to get a whole boatload of bills passed. Blondell Reynolds Brown wants to pass a bill “that would require dentists to provide some degree of disclosure about the mercury contained in fillings.” Brown also wants to ban kids from fundraising in the street, which means the police are going to get to arrest little kids or something. Hilarious! Darrell Clarke wants to make it illegal to burn a cross or hang a noose.

But the biggest flurry of activity comes from outgoing Councilwoman Carol Campbell, who wants to pass like 4500 bills, including one that would require prompt payment of city contractors and one that would mandate recreation programming for the disabled.

Oh, and she also wants to mandate seatbelts in school buses, a move that is apparently illegal.

She calls it “asinine” that seat belts are required in cars but not on school buses. [...] If it becomes law, it would take effect next September. But the city law department says Council does not have the authorization to mandate safety equipment on buses. That, the attorneys believe, must come from Harrisburg.

First guns, now seatbelts. Are there any laws we’re allowed to make?

City Council: Race to the Finish [Heard in the Hall]
Councilwoman Pushes for Seat Belts on All Phila. School Buses [KYW 1060]