South Queens, New York – Last night, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens) helped pass legislation to ensure that the families of municipal frontline workers who lost their lives to COVID-19 as a result of their service receive the benefits they deserve.

“Especially during this pandemic, for those workers who gave their lives to keep us safe, it is our responsibility to take care of their families who have sacrificed so much,” Pheffer Amato said. “I am proud to have sponsored this legislation and I will always fight for our municipal workers and their families.”

This legislation will provide an accidental death benefit to the beneficiaries of our frontline workers (A.10528, Abbate). This benefit is paid to public employees who die on the job because of an accident. The accidental death benefit is more substantial than the ordinary death benefit for public workers.

As COVID-19 spread across the globe, New York quickly became an epicenter of the pandemic. Since this pandemic began, more than 200 public employees have died from COVID-19 in New York City alone.