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FREE SPEECH COMMITTEE

We support and promote the Enforcement of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act on the Philadelphia City Council, the Mayor's Office, and on all Philadelphia City Departments.

Philadelphia City Government's SUNSHINE ACT Violations:  

Apr 21, 2026: Proposal to Make Public Meetings Legal Under The Sunshine Act!  (Please contact city council, whose emails are listed on the email, and request that they support the Proposal and add it to the Rules Committee agenda.)

• City Council and City Departments restrict "public comments" to "agenda items only" at most, if not all, official meetings.

• City Council routinely introduces bills and resolutions at the beginning of each meetings that should have been included on the regular agenda, and in some cases, council is voting on these non-agenda items on that same day.

• City Council routinely fills the Stated Meeting agenda with congratulatory resolutions that add, on average, approximately an hour to the proceedings (including public comments), thereby transforming the atmosphere from one that should be conducive to conducting the peoples business, to a "booster club" environment, instead.

• City Council rules inform the public that, normally, they will have 3 minutes to speak, but normally, they only have two minutes, and sometimes only 1 minute. A two-minute limit should be the unvarying standard.

NOTE: See Attorney George Bochetto's 2024  letter to City Council detailing most of these violations.

CITY HALL "Regulars":  We attend City Council & city department meetings and provide moral and physical support for our fellow colleagues and our agenda. We also follow legislation, lobby council members, and make recommendations to our members and the public. Not all City Council committees meet monthly, although they should, in order to give the public an opportunity to "air their grievances". Nor do all City Departments meeting monthly, or at all, as in the case of Parks and Recreation, who have "community outreach" events, which do not meet the legal standard as "public meetings", and as such, have resulted in lawsuits. Here are some City Departments that do meet:

• City Council: Stated meetings usually occur on Thursdays, at Room 400, City Hall, 10-1 pm, also check out committee meetings. Check out City Council Calendar. There is a sign-up sheet inside the entrance of city council if you want to make a public comment. Or you can call in the previous day before 3 pm 215-686-3406 - https://phlcouncil.com/offering-public-comment-at-council-sessions-temp.  Keep your comments to 2 minutes, even though sometimes they allow 3 minutes. Having prepared comments on paper is a good idea. You want to make the best use of your time.

• Philadelphia Board of Education: "Action meetings" usually occur on the 4th Thursday, 4-7 pm, 440 N. Broad Street. See details. They are also limiting the number of public speakers (which is illegal under the Sunshine Act), so you will want to sign up early.

• City Planning Commission: Third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m..

• Art Commission: Second Wednesday of the month.

• Historical Commission: Monthly meetings (often second Friday) in a hybrid format.

• Board of Pensions and Retirement: Monthly investment/benefit meetings, with upcoming sessions on April 23 and May 28, 2026.

• Board of Health: Regular meetings typically occur monthly.

• Commission on Human Relations: Third Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m..

• Board of Ethics: Monthly meetings, with agendas available online.

* This Committee covers City Council Committees: Law & Government, Ethics