The Pennsylvania State Legislature approved a bill Oct. 17 that would penalize Philadelphia for its “sanctuary city” status, The Inquirer reported.
The measure, sponsored by Northeast Philadelphia State Rep. Martina White, needs another round of legislative approvals before they go to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf for his veto or signature.
State House members voted, 136-55, to impose sanctions on so-called sanctuary municipalities that restrict employees from certain actions, such as communicating with federal immigration officials about a person’s immigration status.
Philadelphia and more than 30 Pennsylvania counties have policies, written and unwritten, of declining to honor requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to hold a person suspected of violating immigration laws, according to a March 2015 report from the Temple University law school.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has heavily criticized the bill.
The Governor’s spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, was quoted in The Inquirer as saying Gov. Wolf has concerns about the measure, but stopped short of saying whether he would veto it.
Also, the State Senate was expected to debate another measure sponsored by Representative White that would prohibit public officials from releasing the names of police officers involved in shootings that result in death or “serious bodily injury.”
They could only do so legally 30 days after the shooting, or once an official investigation into the shooting has concluded, according to the bill.
Sheridan said the Governor was reviewing the legislation.