Council's hearing on how the city responds to sexual violence is Nov. 16
Resolution 260844, from Nina Ahmad and nine co-sponsors, gets a Public Health Committee hearing 39 days after it was adopted. A related hearing on domestic violence, first approved in 2025, was authorized again Oct. 29 and still has no date.
City Council's Committee on Public Health and Human Services will hold a hearing on the city's response to sexual violence on Monday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m., according to the committee's posted agenda.
The hearing is the first chance this year for the public to hear, in one room, how survivors are supported, how police and prosecutors handle sexual assault cases, and what the city does to prevent them.
What the hearing covers
Resolution 260844, from at-large Councilmember Nina Ahmad, authorizes hearings on:
- support for survivors;
- law enforcement's response;
- the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault; and
- prevention.
The resolution says the hearings come "in light of recent sexual assault cases in Philadelphia and reopened investigations of school campus sexual assault elsewhere." It doesn't name specific cases.
Nine members co-sponsored: Anthony Phillips, Cindy Bass, Jim Harrity, Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Mark Squilla, Mike Driscoll, Nicolas O'Rourke, Quetcy Lozada and Rue Landau. Council adopted it the day it was introduced, Oct. 8 (signed copy).
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What our records add
This one moved quickly. The hearing is set 39 days after adoption. Many hearing resolutions wait much longer, and some never get a hearing.
The domestic violence hearing has waited more than a year. Resolution 250927, from Council President Kenyatta Johnson, authorized a Public Safety Committee hearing on how the courts, the Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office and the police protect victims of abuse and domestic violence. It was adopted and referred Oct. 23, 2025, with 11 sponsors. Our records show no hearing in the 374 days since.
On Oct. 29, Council adopted Resolution 260937, with the same title, from Johnson and nine co-sponsors. It has no date on our meetings calendar. The Sheriff's Office, one of the agencies it names, is in court this week over its handling of property auctions, as we reported.
Eight members backed both new resolutions: Ahmad, Driscoll, Harrity, Landau, Lozada, O'Rourke, Phillips and Squilla.
How to take part
Committee hearings are open to the public and usually include public testimony; this one is listed for Room 400 of City Hall. The agenda and any changes are posted on the city's legislative calendar. Our meeting page will link the video and transcript once they are posted.
What's next
- Nov. 16, 2 p.m.: Public Health and Human Services hearing on Resolution 260844.
- Nov. 16, 10 a.m.: Earlier that day, the Committee on Legislative Oversight resumes its hearing on the Academy of Natural Sciences' closure (meeting).
- The domestic violence hearing under Resolution 260937 still needs a date from the Public Safety Committee.