Mayor William Peduto today made the following statement about Senate Bill 4, which seeks to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to make the Legislature the sole authority on what is a purely public charity:

“After giving this secretive and rushed legislation a review, I continue to stand with Pittsburgh’s delegation in Harrisburg and Mayors from across the state to affirm my strong opposition to it.

My administration has shown good faith by trying to come up with a local solution to the nonprofit issue in Pittsburgh, and Senate Bill 4 further stacks the deck against all communities working to find common sense solutions. Those talks have been constructive and robust, as we have focused on ways we can jointly support the city we share. But these 11th hour moves, made without full hearings or accounting, threaten to damage the fragile relationships Pittsburgh and other cities statewide have built with our nonprofit partners.“