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Authorizing City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to investigate and hold public hearings on the underutilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and on the underemployment of women, disabled and minority residents of the City of Philadelphia on local construction projects and city procurement contracts, and further authorizing the Committee to issue subpoenas and such other process as may be appropriate to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents in furtherance of the investigation to the full extent authorized by Section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.
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WHEREAS, A disparity report on minority business utilization entitled "Philadelphia Consortium -- Business Utilization Study" was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia and completed by D.J. Miller & Associates, Inc. in April 1998 which stated "that a sufficient inference of discrimination can be made from this factual predicate to warrant the implementation of programs designed to address disparities in contracting"; and
WHEREAS, An affirmative action (AA) report prepared by City Councilman Angel Ortiz, entitled "The illusion of inclusion" reported that government funded construction and service contracts were awarded disproportionately to non-minority firms and the majority of those firms also located outside the city limits; and
WHEREAS, The same AA report demonstrates that a disproportionate number of employment and apprenticeships opportunities available as a result of government assisted projects were awarded to non-minorities a majority of which were also not Philadelphia residents; and
WHEREAS, The US Department of Labor estimates indicate that Blacks and Latinos have experienced unemployment rates 3 times greater than the non-minority counterpart; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's workforce diversity does not reflect the latest census data which reveals an aggregate minority population equal to 55% of the City's total population; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia's Procurement Department, instead of leading by example, awarded only 10% of it's fiscal 1998, Public Works and Service contracts to DBEs and exhibited an AA performance which was worse than the one performed on private sector and CDBG funded construction projects; and
WHEREAS, The Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC) has reported favorable progress in advancing diversity goals but has refused to validate their findings by sharing certified payroll information on the new stadium construction projects with City Council; and
WHEREAS, GPUAC has further stated that the payroll information is not for "public consumption" although approximately 670 million dollars that were realized for the new stadiums, have come from state and city sources including taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has been unable to obtain information regarding the level of minority and women participation in union apprenticeship programs that increase workforce diversity in the "Building Trades" pursuant to "prevailing wage" Bill No. 000319"; now therefore
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to investigate and hold public hearings on the underutilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and on the underemployment of women, disabled and minority residents of the City of Philadelphia on local construction projects and city procurement contracts; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Council authorizes the Chairperson of the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to issue subpoenas and such other process as may be necessary or appropriate in furtherance of such investigation to the full extent authorized under Section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.
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