🧸 5 new PA laws you may not know about

❌ Office in Charge of Evictions Could Shut Down

Philly’s landlord-tenant officer — a judge-appointed private attorney in charge of carrying out most Philly evictions — is having trouble finding the necessary insurance, and her office will have to shut down if it can’t secure a policy by September. [WHYY]

• More context: Philly’s use of for-profit organizations to perform evictions has been strongly criticized, particularly after some attempted evictions turned violent. [City Cast Philly 🎧]

Phillies 🤝 IBX

Starting at today’s game, expect to see patches with the Independence Blue Cross logo affixed to the Phillies’ uniforms. The southeastern PA insurance company just inked a big sponsorship deal with the team, expanding their already-existing business relationship. [Business Journal 🔒]

💸 New (Free!) Tax Prep Option

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Gov. Josh Shapiro came to Philly yesterday to announce that Pennsylvanians will have the option to file their taxes at no cost next year through the Internal Revenue Service’s “Direct File” program. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

• Also: While she was here, Yellen — who’s got a bit of a reputation as a foodie — ordered a cheesesteak at Jim’s “like she’s from Philadelphia,” the owner said. [Axios Philadelphia]

Did you know that 92 bills have become law this year in Pennsylvania?

Some of them have pretty hefty contents (for example, the state budget), while others just tweak a few words or paragraphs of existing state law.

We obviously don’t have space to go over everything that’s been passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor this year. So instead, here’s a quick sampling of a few new Pennsylvania laws that you may not have heard of.

🐾 Pet Insurance Regulations (Act 19)

This legislation — introduced by Rep. Michael Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) and passed unanimously in both chambers of the General Assembly — goes into effect Dec. 7 and creates a framework for regulating pet insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania. Among other things, it requires insurance companies to tell pet owners about lifetime and annual coverage limits, clarify waiting periods, and disclose what coverage is excluded because of pre-existing conditions.

♻️ Allowing Recycled Materials in Stuffed Toys (Act 30)

Apparently, Pennsylvania has some of the most restrictive laws in the country when it comes to the materials that are allowed to be used in stuffed toys. (Who knew?) That will change on Aug. 27, when Act 30 of 2024 goes into effect.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia), permits manufacturers to use both new and “reclaimed” materials in toys, creates labeling requirements, and bans the use of “child labor, forced labor, or slave labor” in the making of stuffed toys that will be sold in PA.

❗ Free Credit Monitoring After Data Breaches (Act 33)

A new amendment to Pennsylvania’s “Breach of Personal Information Notification Act,” introduced by Rep. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery), passed without opposition in both chambers of the legislature.

Starting Nov. 1, organizations that experience data breaches exposing Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or driver’s license/state ID numbers will have to provide free credit monitoring services for a year to the people impacted. Also, orgs that experience data breaches exposing the personal info of 500 or more Pennsylvanians will have to notify the Attorney General.

Welcome back to our weekly public art guessing game! Last week, I showed you this mural of the Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and Philadelphian Grover Washington, Jr., and I asked you to tell me where it is.

Answer: You can find this larger-than-life portrait at Broad and Diamond Streets in North Philly, right near Temple. “Tribute to Grover Washington, Jr.” has been there since 2001, when it was painted by Peter Pagast. Several years ago, WRTI 90.1 sat down with Mural Arts executive director Jane Golden to unpack the story behind the painting — you can listen to that interview here.

🏆 Shoutout to everyone who knew where this was: Treshia H., Pam A., Tiny, Mandy B., Ruth B., Christal W., Patrice R., Kerrie G., Kevin M., Susan D., Jade G., and Roberta.

Now, let’s head to a different part of the city for this week’s challenge …

Hey Philly reader Brian M. so kindly provided this photo. Do you know where it is? Submit your guess here. (As usual, please refrain from Googling!)

Food Trucks You Should Definitely Hit Up

Anyone else get terrible decision paralysis when you pull up to a neighborhood food fest? Worry not! City Cast Philly podcast host Trenae Nuri and food contributor Dave Wez (@feedingtimetv) can help you navigate the wide world of Philly food-on-wheels by sharing their top food trucks, and why they love them.