PA House Passes Clean Slate Expansion!
PA House Votes 189-14 to Expand Clean Slate to Felony Records! On June 5, 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives…
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PA General Assembly Enacts Bipartisan Economic Recovery Bill, Removing Criminal Record Barriers to Occupational Licensing
On June 24 2020, the General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 637 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin/Perry and Schwank, D-Berks), which reforms occupational licensing…
PA Supreme Court Rules No Forced Drug Tests in Child Welfare Investigations
CLS contributed to a big victory for Pennsylvania families! On June 16, 2020 the PA Supreme Court unanimously held that…
Report: Reforming the Child Abuse Registry System in Pennsylvania
Every year thousands of Pennsylvanians are placed on the child abuse registry for alleged child abuse or neglect, without first…
Organizing for better workplace protections and policies: COVID and beyond
Updated 03/04/2022 Federal COVID leave and other programs like PUA have expired, just as the Omicron variant began to…
Oppose the Presidential Administration’s Proposal to Take Food Away from 755,000 People
The Presidential Administration’s proposal would take food away from 755,000 people, including 90,000 Pennsylvanians.
On Belonging
CLS Deputy Director of Operations and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Brenda Marrero on what it means to belong.
Have a Criminal Record? This New Law May Help You Get Work in Pennsylvania
Many people in Pennsylvania have trained for a career, or have thought about pursuing a new profession, only to be…
TAKE ACTION: Tell Social Security Not to Create Additional Burdens for People with Disabilities!
NEW: Everything you need to know about this harmful proposed rule The Social Security Administration just announced that it wants…
Act Now: You Can Still Receive Your Full Stimulus Payment in 2020
URGENT UPDATE: Act Quickly to Get a Stimulus Payment in 2020! New Deadline for Social Security, SSI, and Veterans Benefits Recipients…
New Rule from Social Security Limits Social Security Access for Limited English Proficient Individuals
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a new rule that could cause immigrants and limited English proficient people with…
New Report Shows Unintentional, Systemic Bias in Philadelphia Property Assessments
New Report Shows Unintentional, Systemic Bias in Philadelphia Property Assessments Today, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) announced the publication…
New Report: Sealing Eviction Records for Housing Stability and Economic Prosperity
“It makes you feel defeated and hopeless. It’s like you feel stuck. You have no help and nowhere to turn…
New Report: As Temperatures Rise, PA Must Expand LIHEAP to Cover Cooling Needs
None of us can afford climate change, but the costs are even higher for Black and Brown people, cities, rural…
New CLS Report Uncovers Glaring Inequities in the SSA System
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are critical lifelines for millions of people with disabilities. However,…
City Expands Right to Counsel for Eligible Philadelphia Tenants into Two Additional Zip Codes
Following the success of initial rollout, low-income tenants in 19134 and 19144 zip codes are now guaranteed legal representation when…
