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Council proposed stricter hotel rental regulations to combat human trafficking in Philadelphia.

Official:Amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Regulation of Businesses, Trades, and Professions," by adding provisions that require hotels and other places that offer rentals of temporary overnight lodging or spaces to maintain a room registry; prohibiting some rentals at less than the daily rate or at hourly rates; and, providing for definitions, penalties and other related items; all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Neilson

Introduced: February 5, 2015

: Committee on Licenses and Inspections

government human trafficking public safety

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2012–2015 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill requires hotels and places that offer temporary overnight rentals to keep a registry of room assignments. It also bans renting rooms for less than a day or at hourly rates, which are often used by human traffickers.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Requires hotels and other places that offer temporary overnight rentals to maintain a room registry.
Prohibits renting rooms for less than a day or at hourly rates.
Provides definitions for terms related to the regulation, such as "temporary overnight lodging or space".
Imposes penalties for non-compliance with the new regulations.