City Council passed two bills today creating the both Commission for Women and the Commission for Pre-Kindergarten. Adding a commission is considered a charter change, and needed to receive at least a two-thirds yes vote in Council. Both passed 16-0 without pause.

The Commission of Women will comprise of 27 volunteer members, 10 appointed by the mayor and then one by each of the 17 City Council members. Its goal will be to create a pathway for Philadelphia’s girls and women to high-ranking positions within the city.

“This is a historic opportunity to bring women to the table of city government in an official leadership capacity,” said Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.

In her final statement before the bill’s passage, Reynolds Brown emphasized that women continue to make 77 cents to every man’s dollar, and despite representing 52.8 percent of the city’s population, they only make up a small percentage of the leadership. Women sit on just 11 percent of corporate boards. For women of color, it is even less.

Philadelphia became the 32nd city to establish a Commission for Women.

As for the Commission on Pre-Kindergarten, the bill was voted favorably out of committee last week, and after two testimonies today passed before Council.

Once appointed, members of the new Commission will advocate for higher-quality pre-K programs across the city. The resolution cited evidence that children who obtain a good pre-K experience go further academically than their peers. Moreover, the resolution reads, every dollar spent on building and improving such programs will save taxpayers “$7-$16 in future costs.”

Another related bill, introduced by Reynolds Brown, was passed today that will remove certain permit fees and other filing costs for daycare providers across the city.