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Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One, Administrative, Article Nine, Boards, Commissions and Authorities, to add Chapter 177D: Pittsburgh Commission on Racial Equity, pursuant to the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, §§ 102 and 208.
(Cablecast Public Hearing held 7/1/20)
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WHEREAS, Article I, § 26 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides that, “Neither the Commonwealth nor any political subdivision thereof shall deny to any person the enjoyment of any civil right, nor discriminate against any person in the exercise of any civil right.”; and,
WHEREAS, on December 23, 2019, the Honorable William M. Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, signed into law Resolution Number 843 of 2019, declaring racism a “public health crisis” in the City of Pittsburgh, a Home Rule municipality and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the history of racism in our country and how it has led to many current-day disparities in education, health and safety, job attainment, income and wealth, housing and healthcare, disproportionate incarceration rates for people of color and other pernicious systems of injustice. The City further recognizes the existence of white privilege, meaning the systemic advantages that white people have relative to non-white people; and,
WHEREAS, City of Pittsburgh recognizes the need to examine seemingly neutral policies and practices to determine whether they are contributing to racial inequity and, where needed, change or eliminate the policy or practice as the city has a long history of decision and policy making that has resulted in classist and racist outcomes; and,
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), through its Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s (“ODPHP”) Healthy People 2020 initiative and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (“CDC”) research on the Social Determinants of Health (“SDOH”), highlights the importance of addressing the social determinants of health by including the overarching goal of “Creat[ing] social and physical environments that promote good health for all” as one of the goals for the decade. A “place-based” organizing framework, reflecting five (5) key areas of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), include: Economic Stability, Education, Social and Community Context, Health and Health Care, and Neighborhood and Built Environment; and,
Be it therefore resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One: Administrative, Article Nine, Boards, Commissions and Authorities, is hereby supplemented by adding Chapter 177D, entitled, “Pittsburgh Commission on Racial Equity”, as follows:
Chapter 177D: Commission on Racial Equity
§ 177D.01 AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE.
There is hereby established a Commission to be known as the Commission on Racial Equity.
The purpose of this Commission is to:
1. Support and advise government entities and other stakeholders in reducing institutional racism and increasing racial equity in the City of Pittsburgh utilizing the Social Determinants of Health as a foundational framework;
2. Support and advise the Mayor and City Council in the implementation of all programs and activities designed to reduce institutional racism and increase racial equity in the City of Pittsburgh;
3. Shall review the progress and impact of all programs and activities designed to reduce institutional racism and increase racial equity in the city of Pittsburgh;
4. Shall investigate and recommend to the Mayor and City Council additional programs, practices and policies for implementation to achieve greater racial equity in the City of Pittsburgh;
5. Investigate the justification and rationale for racial reparations in the City of Pittsburgh and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.
§ 177D.02 ALL-IN PITTSBURGH’S TEN COMMITMENTS TO RACIAL EQUITY.
The All-In Pittsburgh Ten Commitments to Racial Equity:
a. The City of Pittsburgh commits to eliminate race-based disparities across all of its departments and governmental units;
b. The City of Pittsburgh commits itself to the promotion, inclusion and engagement of all community members, especially African-Americans and those who live in African-American neighborhoods;
c. The City of Pittsburgh commits itself to deliberately and systematically applying a racial equity lens in all of its decision-making henceforth, with the goal of continuing to build an equitable community and ensure a healthy community for all Pittsburgh residents and visitors;
d. The City of Pittsburgh commits to explore coaching and training opportunities focused on eliminating systemic racism and white privilege;
e. The City of Pittsburgh commits to furthering racial equity in all of the City’s municipal authorities and special-purpose government agencies and promoting racial equity to the larger Pittsburgh community including its civic, corporate, non-profit, faith-based and community-based organizations;
f. f, The City of Pittsburgh commits to utilizing racial equity tools and implementing best practices as advocated by the City’s national partners such as GARE, Cities United, National League of Cities and PolicyLink;
g. The City of Pittsburgh commits to convene and participate in ongoing community conversations to facilitate racial reconciliation, especially as it pertains to public safety services;
h. The City of Pittsburgh commits to investing City resources based upon community need and racial equity in such as areas as contracting, employment, entrepreneurship and housing.
i. The City of Pittsburgh commits to transforming African-American communities from communities of concentrated poverty to stable, mixed-income communities;
j. The City of Pittsburgh commits itself to the elimination of race-based disparities as defined by Social Determinants of Health in the Greater Pittsburgh community.
§ 177D.03 MEMBERSHIP OF THE PITTSBURGH COMMISSION ON RACIAL EQUITY; OPEN MEETINGS; RULES AND REGULATIONS; ATTENDANCE.
a. The Pittsburgh Commission on Racial Equity shall be composed of at least seven (7) persons, residents of the City, appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council as follows:
1. Chief Equity Officer of the City of Pittsburgh;
2. Two (2) members of Pittsburgh City Council, whose districts contain a predominant number of racial minorities;
3. One (1) member of Allegheny County Council whose district contains a significant number of City residents who are racial minorities;
4. One (1) member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives;
5. A representative of the office of the member of the United States House of Representatives whose district contains the largest proportion of the City as measured by population;
6. Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations;
b. City Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy Analyst will serve as a staff for the Commission on Racial Equity on Council’s behalf.
c. The Mayor may appoint additional members as he or she may deem appropriate, subject to the approval of City Council, provided that the Commission retains an odd number of members.
d. Each major administrative unit and unit of government shall designate a management-level employee to serve as a liaison to the Commission.
e. The Commission shall meet in regular session no less than quarterly and shall conduct its first meeting no later than 45 days after its members are appointed.
f. Meetings of the Commission shall be subject to the provisions of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, 65 Pa.C.S.A § 701 et. seq., as amended.
g. The Commission shall elect, annually, a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. The Chair may, with the approval of the Commission, appoint such committees as are necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Commission.
h. The Pittsburgh Commission on Racial Equity shall adopt such rules and regulations for its own organization, operations and procedures as it deems necessary to administer and implement this Article.
i. The Commission on Racial Equity shall have five (5) Standing Committees with expanded membership selected by the Commission. Those Standing Committees shall be established pursuant to the five (5) major categories of the Social Determinants of Health: Committee on Economic Stability, Committee on Education, Committee on Social Community Context, Committee Health and Health Care Committee and Committee on Neighborhoods and Built Environment.
j. The Commission may seek outside funding to hire outside agencies and consultants to complete its mission.
§ 177D.04 DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.
Duties of the Commission on Racial Equity.
1. The Commission on Racial Equity shall select the method for measuring the progress in fulfilling the Ten Commitments to Racial Equity in the City of Pittsburgh.
2. The Commission on Racial Equity shall oversee and support the implementation of the City’s All-In strategies as evidenced by:
a. Equitable Development: The Path to an All-In Pittsburgh;
b. The All-In Policy Council;
c. The All-In Investment Fund;
d. The PBOC Peace and Justice Repost;
3. The Commission on Racial Equity be responsible to investigate the basis and vehicle for racial reparations in the City of Pittsburgh.
4. The Commission on Racial Equity shall produce annual reports to Pittsburgh City Council.
Section 2: The following enactments, or implementation of the same, are hereby placed under the jurisdiction and control of the Commission on Racial Equity:
a. Resolution Number 669 of 2015, effective October 21, 2015, entitled, “Resolution establishing a Wage Review Committee to review the impact of increasing the wages of service workers and service employees in the City of Pittsburgh.”;
b. Resolution Number 339 of 2019, effective May 30, 2019, entitled, “Resolution declaring the City of Pittsburgh as an "All-In" City.”;
c. Resolution Number 340 of 2019, effective May 30, 2019, entitled, “Resolution establishing the City of Pittsburgh Equity and Inclusion Implementation Team ("EIIT").”;
d. Resolution Number 842 of 2019, effective December 23, 2019, entitled, “Resolution establishing the City of Pittsburgh All-In Cities Leadership Forum.”;
e. Resolution Number 843 of 2019, effective December 23, 2019, entitled, “Resolution Recognizing Racism as a Public Health Crisis.”;
f. Resolution Number 844 of 2019, effective December 23, 2019, entitled, “Resolution establishing the All-In Cities Investment Fund”;
g. Resolution Number 224 of 2020, effective May 20, 2020, entitled, “Resolution establishing the Greater Pittsburgh Covid-19 Racial Equity Task Force”.
Section 3. Repeals.
The following legislative enactments are hereby repealed absolutely:
a. Ordinance Number 56 of 2015, effective December 18, 2015;
b. Ordinance Number 57 of 2015, effective December 18, 2015.