Chamber Supports PREP Bill in City Hall

Joe Mahoney, Executive Vice President of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, recently testified before members of the Finance Committee at City Hall in support of the Philadelphia Re-Entry Employment Program (PREP) bill. This legislation, which offers a $10,000 annual tax credit for up to three years, provides an attractive incentive for employers to consider hiring pre-qualified ex-offenders.

The Chamber views this proposed legislation as a positive tactic in the complex work to produce a long-term resolution to the problem of violence within the city. This legislation is, in a sense, a bookend to a recent Chamber initiative to provide more than 1,000 employer-paid internships for city youth through our Working Solutions program. By demonstrating the economic opportunities available to those who stay in school and earn a paycheck, Working Solutions helped show youth an alternative to violence.

The proposed PREP bill also offers opportunity. By providing an incentive for employers to hire ex-offenders, a door to future prosperity is opened that had seemingly been shut. The ex-offenders can take advantage of employment opportunities that have been unavailable to them because of their past.

We applaud Councilman Goode and former Councilman Nutter for their work on this legislation and support the concept and approach that are outlined in Bill 070693.