City Councilman At-Large W. Wilson Goode, Jr. has introduced Economic Opportunity Enforcement Legislation, including two bills and a resolution, empowering City Council to bring debarment charges against city contractors for failure to make best and good faith efforts to implement economic opportunity plans.

The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter amendment would confirm Council’s power to enact ordinances that require City contractors and recipients of City financial assistance to submit and comply with economic opportunity plans addressing the participation of disadvantaged business enterprises and workforce diversity. It would also provide remedies for violations, including debarment from doing business with the City or receiving City financial assistance for a specified period of time.

The Philadelphia Code amendment would provide that Council may, by resolution, determine that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a participant, contractor, project developer, or applicant for or recipient of financial assistance has failed to comply with the economic opportunity provisions and should be subject to debarment.

Councilman Goode said, “This legislation clearly defines Council’s intent to expose the underutilization of qualified women and people of color in providing goods,services,and labor.”