State Sen. Jose Peralta proposed the rent subsidy bill, which the Legislature will review when the next session begins in January. (JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
The families of slain cops, firefighters and medics would get up to $1,000-a-month over 10 years for rent or mortgage payments, under a new bill proposed by a Queens senator.
State Sen. Jose Peralta said Wednesday he was inspired to propose the measure after the murder of NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia, 48, in the Bronx on July 5 and the funds raised for the families of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu who were shot to death in 2014.
“There are some pretty good benefits for these families, but there is no mention of a rent or mortgages subsidy,” he said. “This fills in the gap of what’s missing in the package.”
The families of emergency responders slain in the line of duty would be eligible for the payments.
The bill would create a $10 million pool of money overseen by the state controller’s office from the state’s general fund.
The monthly payments cannot exceed the amount of the rent or the mortgage payment. People who are eligible would have to apply to the controller’s office.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, applauded the measure.
“This bill is a good first step towards repaying our sacred debt to the families of the fallen,” Lynch said in a statement.
Gerard Fitzgerald, head of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and Robert Ungar, Legislative Counsel, echoed his views.
“This legislation would assist those families in need and provide a financial level of comfort,” Fitzgerald said.
The bill will be considered in the Legislative session starting in January.
Peralta, who is naming the bill after Familia, represents Jackson Heights, and other parts of Queens.
Familia was working an overnight shift in a mobile command vehicle in Fordham Heights when Alexander Bonds, a man with virulent anti-cop views, fatally shot her. He was killed by responding officers.
The children of slain Officer Miosotis Familia speak at her funeral on July 11. Peralta's proposed law is named after Familia. (POOL/REUTERS)
The Daily News raised $254,000 to help Familia’s three children.
A similar fund started by The News raised $120,000 for the family of FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo, who was killed March 16 when a deranged career criminal hijacked her ambulance and ran her over.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation raised $1 million to aid the families of Ramos and Liu. A portion of the money was used to renovate Liu’s family home, and pay off the mortgages on the houses of both cops.
Ramos, 40, and Liu, 32, were shot to death on Dec. 20, 2014, while sitting in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant by cop-hating Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28.